Of Golden Snitches and First Kisses
by tristinai
Summary: Quidditch-obsessed Jack goes too far when he directs a prank at Elsa. What happens when Hogwarts' biggest underachiever is forced to be tutored by the resident overachiever? Hogwarts AU, Jelsa, Kristanna, The Big Four.
1. A Snitch

**A/N:** So I have been working on this fic for the last 3 weeks but it's taken me forever to sit down and edit it. The was actually written before Midnight Mischief, which could almost be a sequel to this. This story will be about 5 parts, the rest to be posted once I finish editing. Most houses, especially for the minor characters, were chosen based on popular opinion in the fandom. People seem divided on Elsa but I have chosen to focus on her independence and introversion, hence why I feel Ravenclaw makes sense in this verse. Please let me know what you guys think and enjoy! (My first non-smut Jelsa~)

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"…now, with your left hand, hold the cauldron at a slightly different angle and pour another ten drops of wormwood essence," Elsa read. "...wormwood essence…wormwood essence…ah, there it is!"

She had mistakenly placed the vial behind her potions textbook after using it earlier. She carefully picked it up, doing her best to not shift her body too far, lest she tilt the cauldron too far.

"So that's the master brewer's secret? Talking to herself?"

Elsa nearly dropped the vial, startled by the loud voice coming from over her shoulder. She nearly rolled her eyes as she saw Jack leaning against the table behind her, his potion long abandoned. _Typical._

"I know a few witches who love talking to themselves. The fine residents of St. Mungo's. I'm sure you'd fit right in," Jack said, chuckling.

But Elsa wasn't about to let the Slytherin get under her skin. Not wanting to ruin her potion, she carefully added the 10 drops of wormwood.

"Don't you have a Draught of Living Death to concoct, Mr. Frost?" she asked, icily.

"No need to be so formal, _princess,_" Jack said, strolling over and pushing aside her books to lean obnoxiously against her table. He toyed with the dish of finely chopped valerian root, turning his nose up at the smell. "But if we're going to be using titles, you can call me Keeper of the Master Wand. And if you're a good girl, maybe I can show it to you sometime."

An angry flush filled Elsa's cheeks and she had to keep from hexing him back to the 5th century. But, far more vexing, he was currently playing with the next ingredient she needed for the draught.

"Jack, give that back!" She attempted to reach for it, only to have Jack hold it out of her reach. Curse the extra 5 inches he had on her!

"Ask nicely."

"I don't have time for these games! Please, Jack!" she begged. Jack snickered and moved it behind him, nearly dropping the beans out of the petri dish. Elsa released a startled gasp, feeling angry tears spring to her eyes.

_Don't let him get to you, _she told herself, blinking to hold them back. But the part of her that strove for nothing less than perfection knew she was working against the clock to brew this incredibly difficult potion. All her hard work was about to go to waste.

She supposed she should be used to this by now. Ever since coming to Hogwarts and being sorted into Ravenclaw, Elsa had worked her hardest to fight her way to the top. This often made her an easy target for classmates like Jack Frost, who really couldn't care less how well he did. To make it worse, he seemed to take great joy in screwing things up for her.

"Jack, lay off," Hiccup said. He snatched the petri dish from Jack and handed it back to Elsa.

"C'mon, I was just having a bit of fun," Jack said, elbowing Hiccup. Hiccup shook his head, but failed to hide a small smile.

"Thank you, Hiccup," Elsa said, pouring the valerian roots into a beaker of water. She shot another glare in Jack's direction. "At least there are still some gentlemen left in the world."

"Wow, straight through the heart," Jack said, mockingly grabbing his chest. "_My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break."_

"…quoting Shakespeare now?" Elsa said. She was surprised he knew anything Muggle-related. "Where did you learn Shakespeare?"

"Muggle studies."

"I'm surprised you retain anything in that waterlogged brain of yours," Elsa mumbled, the thought slipping freely from her tongue before she could stop it.

She expected Jack to throw his own insults at her, especially since very little ever stopped him from speaking his mind. Instead, he leaned farther over the table and knocked over the beaker of water with the valerian roots. "Oops."

"Jack!" Elsa screeched.

She tried to reach for it but it fell to the floor and broke.

"Jack, what in Merlin's beard are you doing?!" Hiccup said, looking as horrified as Elsa.

Some of the other Slytherins began snickering. Unfortunately, this drew to the attention of Professor Gothel, who all but groaned when she realized who was disrupting the class. Putting down the ingredients she had been carrying, she walked over to the trio. "What is the problem here?"

"He sabotaged my draught!" Elsa said, pointing an accusing finger at Jack.

"It was an accident!" Jack protested.

"It was not! You're always doing things like this!"

"Yeah, well maybe if you weren't always being such a bi—"

"Mr frost!" Professor Gothel's shout caused every student in the room to suddenly become silent. She glared at the two arguing students, though most of her ire was directed towards Jack. After a moment's pause, she said, "20 points from Slytherin."

Groans could be heard from the other side of the classroom.

"Nice going, Frost," one of the Slytherins mumbled.

"What? But—that's not fair!" Jack argued. "I didn't even touch her draught. It's fine, see!"

But as he picked up the cauldron to show the professor, he slipped on the contents of the broken beaker, tripping into the potions instructor. The full weight of cauldron caused her to tumble over with a loud screech, the draught spilling onto her face and shoulders. All the students stared in shock as the potion-covered professor attempted to get back on her feet.

"P-professor Gothel, I'm so sorry—"

"JACK FROST, 2 WEEKS DETENtzzzzz….."

And like a rock, the professor fell back over, snoring loudly.

It was a long minute before anyone felt brave enough to say anything.

"…I can't get detention if she never wakes up, right?" Jack said.

Hiccup smacked his palm to his forehead.

* * *

"3 weeks detention with Professor Gothel, another week sorting books with Madame Maudie—"

"Couldn't you just give me another week cleaning cauldrons?" Jack complained. "I hate sorting books. I'm allergic to them."

The vicious look from Head of Slytherin, Professor Black, silenced every other complaint that sat on the edge of Jack's tongue. His posture drooped a little in his seat and he dropped his gaze. Very few dared to get on the Professor's bad side and his lack of tolerance for insubordination was legendary.

"Make that 2 weeks in the library," Professor Black said. Jack had to bite down hard on his lip to keep from speaking out. "Perhaps you may learn something useful if you actually spend time there."

_The only thing I've learned is to not piss off the Ice Queen, _Jack thought. It was one of the many nicknames he had come up for Elsa over the years, especially since she seemed to care more about the contents of her books than the people in her life. Maybe it seemed harsh how he always picked on her but she had shut him out years ago and he wasn't ready to let go of that.

"There will also be a 50 point deduction, on top of the 20 points Professor Gothel had removed from Slytherin," the professor continued. He paused, waiting to see if it would rile up the prank-loving student. With Slytherin trailing just behind Ravenclaw for the house cup, this blow was definitely going to hurt. But Jack simply looked miserably up at the professor.

"Will that be all, professor?" Jack asked, with a sigh.

The professor gave an indignant snort. "All? Mr. Frost, we have only gotten started. There's also the matter of your grades."

"My grades? What does this have to do with me _accidentally _sending the professor into a potion-induced sleep?" And while he tried emphasizing the _accidentally_, he had to admit, it still sounded pretty bad. 5 weeks detention was a blessing compared to what could have happened. Still, even if he wasn't being expelled, he was dreading the Howler he'd likely receive from his mother in the following days.

"You are aware that your acceptance into 6th year Potions and History of Magic was conditional," the professor said. He rifled through the large stack of parchment on his desk, a written record of Jack's academics at Hogwarts (along with Jack's more colorful antics), and retrieved the record he was looking for. "And currently, you performance has been less than stellar."

Jack ran a hand through his silver-white hair nervously. "I didn't do _that _badly on the O.W.L.s…"

"You received 2 Trolls, a Dreadful, a Poor, and 4 Acceptables, Mr. Frost," Professor Black said, looking at his student with disdain. He could already feeling the oncoming headache. "That you were even allowed into ANY classes took a lot of persuasion on my part. Let me remind you, you narrowly avoiding repeating some of them. And so far, _this _is what you have to show for it!"

He placed the parchment in front of Jack, highlighting Jack's academics up to midterms. Currently, Jack was failing three of his classes.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Mr. Frost?"

_History of Magic is boring. I'd rather use the Cruciatus curse on myself than sit through another lecture. Astronomy is completely useless because when in the hell am I going to need to know Clairaut's formula? And I could learn more getting my ears blown out by a mandrake than that thing Professor Gothel does that she calls 'teaching'._

But, knowing that saying these things would get him nowhere, Jack stuck with the most honest answer. "I don't need potions to become a professional quidditch player, Professor Black."

It was all Jack had ever wanted. Ever since he could crawl, he had loved being on the broomstick. His parents, both Hogwarts graduates, often joke about how he could fly before he could even walk. It was his passion for flying and quidditch that made Jack the best seeker at Hogwarts and the reason why Slytherin had won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup 3 years in a row.

"Be that as it may, you are still expected to complete your courses this year and take the N.E.W.T.s next year so you can graduate," the professor responded. "Anything less than 'Acceptable' will not be allowed for 7th year courses."

The professor took the document from Jack, putting it back in its place. "We are halfway into the term and there isn't much time for you to turn around your performance. The time has come for drastic measures and I expect full compliance from you, Mr. Frost."

All this time, Jack had been sitting quietly, mostly preparing for whatever lecture he would be given. He was expecting the usual: get chastised, reprimanded, pretend to feel bad, and then go off on his merry way. But the way the Professor mentioned 'drastic measures' made Jack's stomach drop and he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

"What are you saying, Professor? If this is more detention—"

"You have enough detention, Mr. Frost. More will hardly do you any good," the Professor remarked, drily. "You will need help, preferably from someone competent and familiar with the material you need to catch up on. I have taken it upon myself to assign you a tutor."

"…a tutor?"

Jack nearly chuckled at the thought. Right. As if forcing some nerd to spend time with him was going to work. But if that's what it took to get Professor Black off his back, Jack would play along. He'll pretend to take it seriously and skip off on the poor kid to play quidditch after the first session. They had a final match against Gryffindor at the end of the school year so he could always use practice as an excuse to play hooky.

"There was only 1 student I felt capable of taking on this task," Professor Black continued, "she is also in your History of Magic, Potions, and Astronomy classes."

"She? Professor, who-"

There was a knock from the door. A blond head poked from the door. "Sorry to interrupt, Professor. You asked to see me?"

And suddenly, everything clicked.

"No!" Jack said, jumping up from his seat. "No, no, no! Seriously, you couldn't find someone else?!"

"Sit back DOWN, Mr. Frost!" Professor Frost said sternly.

The lilt in his posh accent sent a chill down Jack's spine. He slumped back in his chair, crossing his arms moodily over his chest. He could care less if he looked childish. He so was not going to be tutored by _her._

Professor Black motioned for Elsa to come in. She cautiously took the seat beside his, arranging her robes and straightening her posture so she could look the part of the model student. Jack wanted to roll his eyes but didn't dare under the scrutiny of the Professor.

"Miss Lindstrom, you have been informed of this arrangement?"

"Yes. I…I have decided to do my best to help Mr. Frost," Elsa said, though her voice was slightly tense. He could imagine she was only as thrilled as he was by all this.

And what was it with her always calling him 'Mr. Frost'? It's like she was declaring to the world how little she thought of him.

"It's Jack, by the way."

Elsa ignored him.

"Have you looked over the recommended study schedule?"

"Yes," Elsa said, holding up the parchment she carried with her. "There are no conflicts with my courses, though if Mr. Frost has any objection, I'm sure we can work something out."

"I have many objections, but I've got a feeling neither of you are going to listen to them," Jack complained. "Let me see that."

He rudely took the parchment from Elsa's hands, nearly causing it to tear. As his eyes scanned over the scheduled sessions, he couldn't help voicing his displeasure. "Tuesdays and Thursdays and every second Sunday? But I have quidditch practice!"

"This is only until the end of term, Mr. Frost."

"No," Jack said firmly, standing to his feet. He crumpled the parchment, ignoring Elsa's 'hey', and tossed it on the ground. He couldn't care if he had a year's worth of detention, they were not taking away quidditch from him! "I don't _have _to be tutored. Thanks for trying, Professor, but I'd rather eat slugs than spend five minutes being lectured at by Miss Perfect."

He stormed out of the office, his patience completely lost. He knew he was in a world of trouble but he didn't care.

* * *

"Off the team?"

Jack gaped at Hans, his world turned completely upside down by the Slytherin captain's harsh declaration. It felt like minutes of stunned silence before he found the ability to speak again. "But…I'm the best player. Merlin, I'm the best seeker is this whole school. Why am I off the team?!"

"Coach's orders," Flynn said, adjusting his elbow guards. The 7th year chaser threw an arm around the shocked seeker, putting him into a headlock. "And don't get so cocky! There's no 'I' in team. And…well, no more 'you' in our team."

Jack struggled against Flynn's grip, the older student's strength and build working against him. Flynn chuckled and let him go a few moments later. But the joke stung more than their playful wrestling and Jack found himself embarrassingly blinking back the sting of tears. "Too soon, Flynn. Way too soon."

Seeing how much it had upset his friend, Flynn sighed and threw his arm around Jack again, this time giving him a short, affectionate squeeze. "Cheer up, Frost. I'm sure you'll be training with us in no time!"

"Unfortunately, we don't have any choice in the matter," Hans added, picking up his new Nimbus broomstick. "Professor Black said that until your grades improve, you are suspended indefinitely from the team."

"But that's just games, right? I can still practice, can't I?"

He may be off the team, but Jack didn't want to take the chance of losing his game. His lean build made him perfect for his position but it also had taken years of practice to get to where he was. In the last two years alone, he had caught the snitch in every single game played, his skill and timing improving each time he flew into the pitch.

"Sorry, Jack. Rules are rules."

Jack's shoulders fell and he scuffed the ground dejectedly. The broomstick he was holding suddenly felt that much heavier.

"So, who's going to replace me?" he asked.

Hans put a firm hand on Jack's shoulder. "_No one _is going to replace you. You're going to take a few weeks to get yourself together and then I expect you back in the pitch to train for our last game against Gryffindor. Jamie will train in your place until then."

Jamie was only a third year and one of their reserves who looked up to Jack. He wanted to be a seeker as well but since Jack still had another year at Hogwarts, he was being trained as a chaser to replace Flynn in the upcoming season.

Coming up behind Flynn, in full uniform, Jamie looked a bit worriedly at Jack. Jack could tell the kid was nervous since all the pressure was on him should Jack fail to make it back in time for the last game.

With a sigh, Jack pulled out his lucky golden snitch from his quidditch robes and walked over to Jamie.

"Hey, squirt."

Jamie made an annoyed face at the nickname. Similar to Jack, he was starting to grow taller and leaner. Jack had no doubt the kid would probably tower over him someday.

"You're going to need this," Jack said, handing him the snitch.

Jamie held up the snitch, his eyes growing wider. "Wait, is this—"

"Yeah. That's the first one I caught, back in third year," Jack said, smiling fondly at the memory. It had been an amazing game. His first game ever. He remembered feeling so nervous but the moment he got on the broomstick, all his nerves slipped away. He could still remember the feel of the wind on his face, the sound of the crowd as he stretched out his hand and grasped the golden snitch. But even the glory of his victory couldn't compare to the look on Elsa's face as she cheered his name in the stands…

"I can't accept this, Jack," Jamie said, looking up at Jack guiltily.

It broke Jack out of his recollection but he suppose it was for the best. This wasn't the time or place to remember how everything fell apart after that.

Forcing a smile, he ruffled Jamie's hair. "I'm not giving it to you, squirt. Keep it for good luck. And don't lose it. I'll need it when I come back in a few weeks."

"And you better come back, Frost," Flynn said, slapping Jack heartily on the back. "Because if we're going to make the Lions eat dirt, we'll need you in the pitch."

* * *

_45 minutes late. What was I thinking agreeing to this?_

Elsa kept trying to tell herself she wasn't hurt over being stood up like this. This was Jack Frost, after all. The wizard who could hardly commit 5 minutes of his attention to a lesson, let alone make it for a study date. But it didn't change the cool sting of rejection, even if the rejection came from a situation forced on both of them.

Well, sort of forced. She would be foolish to deny her own acquiescence. With only 2 months until the end of year feast and the announcement of the House Cup winner, she was more than willing to jump at the chance to win some House Points and push Ravenclaw ahead of Slytherin. And she had been promised a substantial amount for her House if Jack managed to pass the 3 classes he was failing. Maybe it would help her be more liked by her housemates, or at least feel less shunned. Ravenclaw was a tough house to be in because they not only competed against the other houses but also each other and since Elsa was the top student in all her classes, it made her everyone's number one rival. But it also didn't help that she was always turning down offers for socializing, even spending Hogmeade's Days holed up in the library and studying to stay ahead. Most of the other Ravenclaws took her antisocial behavior as snobbery, even though it was far from the truth.

Another minute ticked by and Elsa tried to bring her mind back to the Astronomy paper she was working on. She couldn't afford the distraction of her personal angst when there was work to be done. Even if Jack was a no show, her time in the library would not be a waste.

"_I guess he won't be needing a tutor," she had told Professor Black._

_Professor Black smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't count on that, Miss Lindstrom. I'm sure he can be persuaded…with the right incentive. Give him a chance. He'll be in the library tomorrow evening."_

And how wrong Professor Black was.

"—and more than 200 000 quasars have been detected since—" she whispered to herself, reading off the page of the book.

"Still talking to yourself?"

The books that were dropped noisily onto the table startled many of the students sitting nearby. Although they were sitting in a section of the library where students were allowed to gather and converse, Jack still managed to disrupt the unspoken level of noise allowed in this room. It earned him many dirty looks and Elsa could already feel herself flush in secondhand embarrassment.

"Where were you?" she whispered.

"Quidditch practice where, spoiler, I'm no longer on the team," he said. He grumpily pulled out his mostly destroyed Astronomy textbook, the condition of it making Elsa cringe.

"What happened to your book?"

The way she said made it sound like she was asking why he had drowned a kitten or maimed a baby unicorn. Jack cocked a brow, still not really getting what the big deal was. "I was bored the other day so I charmed it to pursue me like a bludger while I practiced chasing the snitch. It knocked me good a few times but I showed it who was King of the Pitch."

The triumphant smirk on his face made Elsa die a little on the inside. She took the book from his hand and it immediately fell apart into pieces. "You destroyed your textbook while playing quidditch?"

"Turns out astronomy can be useful," Jack remarked cheekily.

Elsa pulled out her wand and mumbled _Reparo,_ watching as the book returned to a useable condition. She wasn't sure what was more ridiculous: that he would use his textbook for his games or that he apparently had so little regard for his education that he couldn't be bothered to repair the book himself.

"Is quidditch all you ever think about?" she said, her tone coming off more condescending than she had intended.

Jack chuckled, leaning back in his chair and giving her a cocky look. "I'm a 16 year old wizard, _princess. _I can assure you I think about more than just quidditch."

The saucy wink he threw in for good measure was really pushing Elsa's patience. The last thing she needed was to know what goes on in his head.

"Well, you have successfully wasted an hour of my time," Elsa said. She took Jack's textbook and opened it to the page she had been reading. "So, we'll have to add another hour to make up for it."

"Seriously," Jack groaned, dropping his head on the table, "but I need my beauty sleep."

"I'm sure an extra hour of studying won't kill you," Elsa responded, tapping her wand on his shoulder. "Now, get up and let's discuss quasars."

"German kings?" he asked, lifting his head.

"Those are _Kaisers,_" Elsa said, as if speaking to a child. She didn't like coming off as arrogant but how could Jack not know what quasars were? They talked about it last class. _But Jack had been too busy charming locks of Rapunzel's hair float above her head, _Elsa suddenly remembered. Her cousin, another Ravenclaw student, was overprotective of her hair and had screeched a string of profanities when she found out what Jack had been doing. As unfunny as Elsa had found it at the time, thinking about it now brought a small smile to her face.

"What's so amusing?" Jack asked.

He was looking at Elsa with sudden interest, like he had never really seen her smile before.

The smile slipped away and she was back to business. "Nothing important. So, Professor Claus wanted us to research quasars for next week's paper. These books will tell us everything we need to know…"

Elsa referred to the giant stack of books to her left and Jack groaned dramatically. She has a feeling it was going to be a long night.


	2. A Twist

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! Your kind words and interest in this fic have really motivated me to keep going. I'm doing my best to edit each part and release them as soon as I can so please bear with me for now.

Regarding the question I had been asked about Jack being in Slytherin. Slytherins aren't inherently evil/jerks. Jack is obnoxious in this story but there's a reason behind it. Slytherins are known for their ambition and cunning. Fraternity is also one of their traits, meaning they feel a strong sense of brother/sisterhood within their house. These are all traits I feel Jack demonstrated in ROTG, hence why he is a Slytherin.

I could go on about the values of Slytherin (I am a Slytherin on Pottermore so I feel a lot of house pride XD) but I don't want to make this note longer than it has to be. Feel free to go to my Tumblr page and ask more questions. For now, please enjoy the story and let me know what you think!

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The rest of the week went by as well as Elsa could hope. Jack still had little regard for schedules and unless you said the word _quidditch,_ he wasn't likely to make an effort to be on time. He also grumbled about every little thing under the sun, finding any excuse to scrutinize the assignments or wish the black plague upon the curse he called 'homework'.

"Why do we have to memorize these dates anyway?" Jack complained and Elsa braced herself for the rant ready to spill forth. "I bet Oswald Beamish didn't have to know when the first Goblin Rebellion happened."

Elsa gave him a sardonic look. "…seeing as he pioneered the movement for Goblin rights in the 19th century, I should hope he knew something about their history."

"Wait—that was him?" Jack asked, dropping his _History of Magic _textbook on the table. Elsa felt this would be an appropriate time for her palm to become acquainted with her face but she wasn't as into dramatics as Jack was. "Then whose the wizard who tried to teach trolls how to do ballet?"

"Barnabus the Barmy?" Elsa asked, incredulous. "What does this have to do with _History of Magic?_"

"I'm just saying he didn't have to memorize useless dates to become famous," Jack retorted, glaring down at his textbook. "This is so damn pointless."

"I should hope you wouldn't want to be famous like Barnabus," Elsa said. She dipped her quill and began copying more notes onto the parchment. "After all, the trolls eventually turned against him and boiled him alive. Maybe if he had spent his time enriching his mind instead of exploiting magical creatures, he would have lived past his 90-odd years."

"…you're going to end up being one of those crazy 'Magical Creatures' Rights' activists, aren't you?" Jack said, with a small smirk. "Kind of like those animal rights' people the Muggles have. PITY?"

"It's PETA," Elsa corrected, scribbling a note in her textbook. Even if Jack still mixed up some things about the Muggle world, she was quite impressed by how much he knew. Of his seven classes (the bare minimum a 6th year could take), the one course he didn't share with Elsa was Muggle Studies. It wasn't that Elsa had found the course useless and avoided taking it but being Muggleborn, she felt there was little she could learn from it and chose to instead fill her schedule with other electives, like Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. "And to answer your question, I believe very much that no one should be made to feel less than they are because of what they are. Wizards and witches have a hard enough time getting along with each other. We don't need to project our hate onto other species."

She finished off the sentence she was writing before realizing that Jack was being surprisingly quiet. Looking up from her parchment, she found him staring at her with an odd, contemplative expression on his face. "What is it?"

"I forgot how much you cared about magical creatures," he said.

The wistfulness in his voice made Elsa slip into a similar silence. It brought back a memory of third year, when Elsa and Jack had first taken Care of Magical Creatures together. Elsa had been in complete awe of the creatures, having seen nothing like them growing up, and Jack always playfully teased her for making a fuss over Hippogriffs and boarhounds. But nothing prepared her for the day Elsa first time she came into contact with a unicorn. She wasn't sure what it was about her but unicorns, even to this day, seem to have a natural affinity for her. When she reached out to touch one, the unicorn had dipped its head and cradled her shoulder and she remembered looking back at Jack with the largest, most elated smile she had ever made.

The two exchanged an awkward glance, Elsa shifting in her seat uncomfortably. That was the year before Elsa began seeing the thestrals…

"Hey, Elsa?" Jack asked. She was almost glad he was breaking this uncomfortable moment between them, but she also dreaded what he was going to say. The fact that he was using her name for once nearly made it that much worse. "Why did you agree to tutor me?"

When she looked into his blue eyes, for once not filled with the cunning that only premeditated the mischief he would unleash, she saw them filled with expectation, as if all it took were a few choice words to shift the nature of this odd arrangement. She could feel the intensity of the air between them, like an invisible force was pushing against her restraint, trying to break down the walls she had carefully constructed.

But Elsa was too terrified to venture there, to let go of the patterns she had fallen into. She looked down at the parchment but it didn't hold any answers, only more diversions.

"I'll get House Points if you pass your courses," she admitted. Saying it like that sounded like she was using him so she added, "And you'll get to play quidditch again."

"Oh," Jack said.

Elsa almost wondered how a single sound could be filled with that much disappointment.

"I guess it's a win for both of us," he added. He quietly opened his history textbook and they managed to get through the rest of the session with little interruption.

Somehow, it didn't feel like winning.

* * *

"So, what's this I hear about you and Jack Frost?"

Elsa looked up from the porridge she was eating as Anna plopped down across from her. Not even bothering to look at the food choices presented before her, the fifth year immediately stole a slice of buttered toast from her sister's plate.

"Hey, that's mine," Elsa said, but with a small smile.

Anna grinned and bit into it, dropping crumbs all over her yellow and black tie. "Finders keepers."

Elsa made a face but grabbed the slice of toast back, also taking a bite out of it.

"That has my germs on it," Anna said, giggling.

"They're my germs too, silly," Elsa replied. She laughed along with her sister, happy with the small respite from classes. It was lunch time and Elsa usually spent the hour in the library, sometimes grabbing an apple or banana from the Great Hall to tide her over until dinner. Today, however, she felt like taking a break from her studies to enjoy a full meal. Like usual, she sat by herself at the very end of the table, her Arithmancy notes abandoned at her side. Prior to Anna's presence, she really had tried to give her brain a break, but her gaze kept drifting over to the parchment.

"You didn't answer my question, sis," Anna prodded again. She finished off the piece of toast she had coveted earlier and reached for a scone in the middle of the table. "A little birdie told me they saw you in the library with one Jackson Overland Frost the other night."

Elsa cocked a brow. "Would this 'little birdie' happen to be our own flesh and blood, of the most noble house Corona?"

Elsa glanced down the table at Rapunzel, who waved enthusiastically at the two sisters. Elsa looked back at Anna, who shrugged sheepishly.

"Gossiping about me?"

"Aw, c'mon Elsa! You're always shutting yourself in the library or your dorm! You never spend time with me anymore," Anna complained, throwing her arms up dramatically. "I only gossiped out of my love for you."

"I'm sure you did," Elsa said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She wasn't the least bit annoyed with Anna, though she did feel a tad guilty. She had a tendency to forget the world and that sometimes included her sister. It was already difficult enough being in separate houses since outside of the summers, they saw very little of each other.

She reached across the table and squeezed Anna's hand. "I'm sorry I've been neglecting you, Anna. It's just—some things have happened recently and…I lost track of time…"

Anna squealed, holding Elsa's hand and shaking it excitedly. "So it is true!"

"Hmm? What's true?" Elsa asked.

"You're dating Jack Frost!"

Had someone said this to her weeks ago, Elsa knew she would have had one of two reactions: either she would have burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter or she would have blanched at the thought. Instead, she felt her cheeks burn up to a brilliant shade of red.

"That's—it's not like that at all!" Elsa protested loudly. This drew the attention of some students sitting at the next table and Elsa hid her face behind her hands, mumbling an apology. Anna was still giggling across from her.

"I knew it! I always knew you two would get together!" Anna babbled. "I mean, at first I was like _Nooooo, they totally hate each other _but, like, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. You two used to be best friends and you like the same things, I mean, like, he still likes chocolate, right? Because I remember he used to love chocolate and—"

"Anna!" Elsa said firmly, startling Anna into silence. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "I'm just tutoring Jack. We study together. Trust me, I would _never _date Jack Frost."

As she was saying this, Anna stared open-mouthed at her sister. Elsa wasn't so sure what Anna found so shocking about her declaration since the few times Elsa could be bothered to say anything about Jack in the last few years was always said with complete contempt. But, as an arm snaked around Elsa and a familiar, pale hand reached for the apple on Elsa's plate, the Ravenclaw felt her stomach drop.

"Well, you're no prize catch yourself, _princess,_" a smooth voice whispered in her ear.

Anna's face went so red, her freckles were no longer visible. "H-hello, Jack. We were just talking about you."

"Hey, Anna," Jack said, grinning. He plopped down beside Elsa, a little too close for her tastes, and bit into the stolen apple.

Elsa tried to disguise her embarrassment with irritation. "Why is everyone stealing my lunch today? And don't you have detention right now?"

Elsa tried to grab the apple but, like anytime Jack decided what was Elsa's was also _his_, he held the apple well out of her reach. "Professor Gothel's distracted with the wrinkle-removal potion she's brewing so I gave her the slip."

"You're so irresponsible!" Elsa reprimanded. As Jack went to bite into the apple a second time, she managed to snatch it out of his hands. "You put her into a three-day sleep when you spilled potion all over her. The least you could do is stay for detention!"

"You're the one who brewed the potion," Jack replied. He took the apple back from Elsa as she glared at him. "So, technically, _you _put her in a 3-day sleep!"

He bit cheekily into the apple and winked at Anna. Anna laughed nervously as she remained spectator to their argument.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Elsa said, glaring at him. "If you had treated potions seriously, we wouldn't be in this situation. Don't try and pin this on me, Jack Frost!"

Jack finished off the apple and dumped the core onto Elsa's plate, which only added more fuel to her fire. "Is she always like this at home?"

"She takes herself quite seriously," Anna admitted, looking a bit guiltily at her sister.

Elsa could not believe what she was hearing. Was Anna seriously siding with Jack?

"You need to let it go, _princess,_" Jack said, throwing an arm around Elsa's shoulders. She moodily shrugged it off. "Have a little fun. Break the rules every now and then. Live by the Jack Frost philosophy."

"Mr. Frost!"

Although the voice wasn't quite a shout, there was a command to it that made all the students nearby fall into complete silence. The tone of Professor's Black voice sent a chill down everyone's spines and none of them envied Jack. Still, partly out of the sadistic nature of an unaware spectator, they found themselves unable to look away.

Jack stood shakily to his feet, his face going whiter than his hair. "Good afternoon, Professor Black. Lovely weather we're having today!"

Nobody dared even smirk at the remark.

"I believe you should be in detention right now," Professor Black said. "Last I recall, the Potions classroom is in the dungeon, not the middle of the Great Hall. Do you remember the way, Mr. Frost, or shall I escort you?"

"N-no, sir," Jack replied, laughing nervously. "I'll, uh, just be on my way!"

He waved goodbye to the sisters and scurried out of the Great Hall. The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor gave one last, sinister look to the students before moodily retiring to his office. It wasn't until a good minute after he left that anyone dared whisper a word.

"And that's where the Jack Frost Philosophy gets you," Elsa said, with a smirk. "Detention."

Anna giggled and finished off her scone.

* * *

"Merlin's beard!"

A Hufflepuff sitting nearby tossed a dirty look as Flynn dramatically clutched his heart over his chest. Hans sniffed irritably, not caring much for Flynn's theatrics, but was unable to suppress a small smirk. Jack, on the other hand, was trying to hide deeper into his History of Magic textbook.

"Check my pulse, Hjelmstad," Flynn said, grabbing his friend's shoulder, "because, if Frost is studying, then hell must have frozen over!"

"Piss off," Jack grumbled.

Flynn laughed and yanked the textbook out of Jack's hands. "I never thought I'd see you in here without the Ice Queen. On a Saturday. Someone must have spiked my pumpkin juice this morning."

"Ha ha, everyone's a damn comedian," Jack said sarcastically. He stood up and swiped back his book, settling back in his seat. "Laugh all you want now but if I don't finish this assignment, you'll be without your star seeker."

"He's got a point, Flynn," Hans said, giving his best friend a disapproving look. He pulled out a chair and seated himself across from Jack, "His first priority is to get back onto his broomstick. You should try being more encouraging."

"Really? You're lecturing me on being nice?" Flynn said, leaning against the table. He cocked his thumb at Hans, turning to Jack. "Can you believe this guy? If Elsa's the Ice Queen, he's the Ice King. Not a nice bone in his body. Madame Puddifoot couldn't make a better match."

Jack could feel the heat rise to his cheeks at the mention of her name. Sure, it had kind of offended him (okay, really offended him) when she had acted so put off by him at lunch the other day. But it didn't change that for once, he wasn't liking his teammates' rude remarks about her.

"Elsa Lindstrom? The _muggle-born_?" Hans said, scrunching his nose in distaste.

"You asked Anna out a few months ago," Flynn pointed out.

"Yes, but she at least respects greatness when she sees it," Hans retorted, haughtily. "A lesson the Frost Witch hasn't learned. I would never touch that mudblooded—"

"Guys, can you cut it out? I'm trying to study," Jack cut in.

He tried to pass it off as frustration but the slur, which was so often casually tossed around in Slytherin, was making his blood start to boil. He took a deep breath and began writing notes on his parchment, missing the look that passed between Flynn and Hans.

"So, how are things going with the ice queen?"

"Her name's _Elsa,_" Jack said frostily, not even looking up from his homework. "And it's going great. I should be back at practice in no time."

The sudden tension made the three friends feel incredibly uncomfortable. Jack was willing them to leave before he said something to make the situation worse. But after a moment, Hans released a heavy sigh, causing Jack to look up in surprise.

"We weren't trying to offend you," Hans said. "If Elsa's assistance gets you back in the pitch, then she has our gratitude."

It was an apology without quite being an apology. But knowing how Hans usually was, driven more by his self-importance than humility, Jack gladly accepted it.

"She's alright for a witch," Flynn added, "maybe a bit frigid. But if I had to go for one of the Ravenclaws, I'd take Rapunzel. I admire a nice head of hair."

Jack smirked and shook his head. "Even if it's nicer than yours?"

Flynn grinned, running a hand through his hair. "When you're this good-looking, you settle for nothing less."

The three friends shared a laugh. It made Jack realize that as obnoxious as they could be, he really missed getting to see them at practice.

"Hey, what are you guys doing in the library on a Saturday?"

It only just dawned on him that for as out of character as it may seem for him to be here, it was unheard of for Hans and Flynn. In fact, the last time Flynn mentioned coming into the library, it was to brag about how lucky he got in the Restricted Section with a Hufflepuff.

"Research," Flynn said.

"Vengeance," Hans also said, at the same time.

"…someone's gonna have to explain."

Hans looked at Flynn, who simply shrugged. After a moment, Hans leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Equus confiscated our Witches Gone Wicked magazines."

As soon as he heard that, Jack burst out laughing. The much coveted stash of wizard porn had been Flynn and Hans pride and joy especially since Hans recently turned 18 and could legally purchase them. But even if he was legal, the magazine was banned from the castle. It's no wonder that the caretaker, Maximus Equus, wouldn't have thought twice about taking them.

"It really isn't _that _funny," Hans added, looking pissed off.

"He didn't even report us," Flynn said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Just said we better not do it again. I bet the squib's keeping them for himself."

"You think?" Jack said, snickering. "But I still don't get why you're here."

"Because nobody takes away my skin mags without suffering the consequences."

The fury burning in Hans' eyes was almost enough to make Jack's blood run cold. Even Flynn scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Hjelmstad takes his porn quite serious," Flynn said, "so we're here to find a spell we can use to exact our revenge."

Jack's eyes widened. "You guys are going to pull a prank on Equus?!"

"Shh!" Hans said, exchanging a dirty look with a student who was glaring at their table. "Don't go announcing it to the whole school, Frost."

Already, Jack's mind was flipping through all the havoc-causing spells he knew. _Densaugeo_ would be great, making the caretaker's horse teeth stick out farther than usual. Or maybe _furnunculous_. Seeing Equus covered in boils would really make Jack's day.

"Guys, you have to let me in on this," Jack begged, his homework quickly being forgotten. He was the king of pranks, as his reputation for losing house points has proven time and time again.

"_You _are going to keep studying. There's no way they'll let you play quidditch again if you get caught," Hans answered. His no-nonsense tone left little room for argument.

Jack drooped in his chair. "You guys are seriously doing this to me?"

"If we get caught, worst case, we get stuck in detention with you," Flynn added. "Plus, it's our porn, our war."

Jack snorted.

"Maybe we should find a spell to make him vomit maggots?" Hans suggested, with an evil grin. "I bet he won't be able to stomach the sight of food for weeks!"

"Or we could enchant his mirror to scream every time he looks in it," Flynn said, chuckling.

"Amateurs," Jack said.

His condescending tone made both Hans and Flynn pause.

"And what would you do, self-declared prankster king?" Flynn asked sarcastically.

"Not only self-declared but proven prankster king," Jack said, arching a brow. "Need I remind you I hold the record for most time spent in detention."

"A badge you wear with great honor," Hans mocked. "Now, spill. If you were orchestrating this prank, how would you exact your vengeance?"

"Well, you said Equus didn't report you, so he's probably keeping the mags," Jack said. "And if he's keeping them, they'll be stashed in his room. Now, if you're a single, middle-aged wizard with a stack of Witches Gone Wild, what would you spend your evenings doing?"

Hans looked at Jack as if he were a complete moron. "It's common knowledge you're a virgin, Frost. But, Merlin's sake, I hope you know how to wank your own wand."

"He's been studying so much, he's forgotten life's basic pleasures," Flynn added.

"That was rhetorical," Jack said, with a groan. "My point is he's gonna be reaching for those mags at some point. So, why not break into his office and use a _geminio curse?_ Every time he touches the magazines, they will duplicate and then he'll be stuck with an office full of porn."

"That's…" Flynn said, face lighting up.

"—brilliant," Hans added, smirking.

"Best of all, there's nothing tying those magazines to you if he's caught with them," Jack said, grinning.

"He'll know we cursed them and he'll hate us for it," Flynn cut in.

"Good," Hans replied, "it will teach him not to take from a Hjelmstad. Excellent thinking, Frost."

With their plan set, the two said their goodbyes to Jack and left him to his homework. Stuck once more with the assignment that just wouldn't get done, Jack sighed dropped his head on his textbook. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"—Now, we pair up and map the Hyades Cluster," Professor Claus said.

This was the part of the class that Elsa always hated. Most students who took the evening class bemoaned having to rush off to the Astronomy Tower after dinner so it was one of those courses that many dropped after the O.W.L.s, along with History of Magic. However, Elsa was fine with taking a class at night. It made her feel like she was keeping her mind active all throughout the day and she also enjoyed viewing the stars.

The part she disliked was having to find someone to pair off with. Since the class was set at an odd number, she usually would walk over to one of the telescopes at the far end, ignoring the pitiful stares she would get from her classmates as they paired off. Sometimes, Rapunzel and Astrid would feel bad and offer to let her join them but Elsa often felt like she was intruding, especially since she had little to contribute to their gossip.

She could already see Rapunzel wave to her as she gathered up her things.

"It's alright, Punzie," Elsa said, with a forced smile. "Two's company, Three's a crowd, as us muggleborns like to say."

Rapunzel giggled. "You know, my mum said that to dad once and he really couldn't wrap his head around it."

Her mother, a muggleborn, had married into the pureblooded Corona family, causing quite a stir a few decades back. But it had made childhood visits to the Corona manor more interesting for Elsa and Anna when they were also revealed to be magic users. It used to always amuse Elsa whenever she mentioned something so typical in the non-magic world and her uncle had looked at her as if she were speaking a whole other language.

"You sure you don't want to join us? We could always use one more," Astrid said, leaning on her broomstick. She was still in her quidditch robes, something that should have gotten a deduction for Gryffindor, but Professor North Claus was pretty lax about the rules. Plus, it also didn't hurt that he was the Head Coach for the Gryffindor quidditch team.

"If you mean am I sure I don't want to write out our notes while you two gossip about boys then, yes, I think I'll take my chances on my own," Elsa teased. "I might get more work done this way."

Astrid smirked and nudged Rapunzel. "She knows us too well."

"Elsa, you don't know what you're missing out on!" Rapunzel said, her voice lilting as her eyes sparkled. Elsa knew that look. Her cousin was only waiting to be asked what the latest word around school was. Evidently, she didn't need an invitation. "Rumor has it that Flynn and Hans are in some prank war with the caretaker."

"Of course, you would bring up Flynn," Astrid cut in, laughing as Rapunzel's cheeks reddened, "you're so obvious, we wouldn't even need veritaserum to get it out of you. But, Punz, you could do so much better than Flynn Rider!"

"He's not _that_ bad," she mumbled.

"Do you need me to remind you what Jorgenson caught him doing with that Hufflepuff in the Restricted section?"

"He was so making that up!" Rapunzel protested. "Jorgenson's just jealous because—"

"—and this is where I'll take my leave," Elsa said, laughing a little nervously. Her classmates were on the verge of a gossip showdown and she really didn't want to be part of it.

They hardly noticed as she walked away, their argument becoming white noise in the background as students shuffled about, gathering their things and claiming telescopes. As she passed a group of male students, a familiar pair of blue eyes glanced into hers and she quickly found herself averting her eyes. The look Jack gave her had her stomach doing a flip but it wasn't something she wanted to be thinking about, not when she could barely get her head around this strange arrangement she found herself in.

"Hey, where're you going?" she heard Hiccup say.

"You go ahead with Jorgenson and Thornston. I'm, uh, going to work with someone else."

The sounds of teasing and cat calls followed her as Elsa set her things down on the floor by the telescope. She didn't have to look behind her to know Jack was following her. She could already feel the warm flush in her face and bent down to retrieve her books from her bag.

"You don't have to work with me," she said, quietly.

He dropped his bag beside hers, leaning against the wall. Absently, he twirled his wand in his hand, though she suspected he was trying to distract from his nervous shuffle as he shifted his weight between his feet.

"I always work with Haddock. And he's always riding me for drawing on his notes," Jack answered. "I could use a change."

Elsa stood up and began flipping through her textbook, finding the page on the Hyades Cluster. She then looked at Jack sternly, her previous embarrassment gone. "If you even think of drawing on my notes—"

"—you'll hex me until I'm speaking mermish, dancing like one of Barnabus' trolls, and serenading mandrakes with an ungodly shriek?" Jack offered.

"—actually, I was going to simply make you clean up my notes with _tergeo_ but I will take your suggestions into consideration," Elsa said. Then, with a small grin, added, "I could always brush up on my curses."

"I didn't know you still had a sense of humor," Jack said, laughing. "Remind me never to piss you off."

Elsa raised a brow. "I do every day and yet you still manage it."

Jack made a pained sound and Elsa struggled not to indulge him as she set about adjusting the telescope. "You could burn fire with that tongue, princess."

With their joking aside, the two soon fell into a comfortable pattern, Elsa fixing the angle of the telescope and Jack directing her by reading from the textbook. It was almost surprising at how easy this was but when Jack was cooperative, he was actually helpful. He still had moments where he slipped into his usual behavior: complaining over a complicated calculation or reading an instruction he didn't understand and cursing under his breath. But maybe their shared time together had started rubbing off on him in a good way.

"Found it!" Elsa declared. She released a breath she hadn't known she was holding, her voice filled with awe. "It's—this is amazing! Jack, you have to see it!"

She stepped away from the telescope, taking her textbook from Jack. Jack looked like he wanted to roll his eyes but, for whatever reason (probably just to humor her), he bent over and peered into the telescope. Elsa smiled a little to herself, staring down at her book as she went over the coordinates. At least he was complying instead of making some obnoxious remark over her enthusiasm for stars.

After about a minute, he shifted the angle of the scope. Even though she couldn't see his face clearly, she could hear the excitement in his voice.

"Wow! You're right," Jack exclaimed.

Elsa perked up at the sound. She was more than a little surprised that he seemed the least bit interested in the stars, given his affinity for complaining about the subject.

"It's amazing! Breath-taking! Have you ever seen anything like it? Here, Elsa," Jack said, motioning her to come back over, "you've got to see this!"

Eager to see what had Jack so excited, and actually enjoying astronomy for once, Elsa leaned down and looked into it. But the sight that greeted her was not one she expected.

Lifting her head up, she was unable to hide the edge of irritation in her voice. "That's the quidditch pitch, Jack."

"I know," he said, leaning against the window sill. The smirk on his lips disappeared as he looked outside in the direction of the pitch, his voice becoming wistful, "Isn't it something?"

Normally, Elsa would disagree and make some quip about staying on task. But she knew that Jack was trying and the efforts he was putting into his studies (which, really, he wouldn't have to do if he had just studied in the first place) came at the cost of taking away something he really felt passionate about. Seeing his melancholic expression tugged at Elsa, making her think of their earlier years at Hogwarts.

"What is it that makes you like quidditch so much?" Elsa asked. Even before Jack could answer, she could already guess what his response would be.

"Why do I like quidditch?" Jack said, looking at her as if she'd grown another head. "Do you even have to ask?

"Quidditch is the greatest invention in our world. It's not just a game; it's _life_. It's got action and drama, sometimes even humor," Jack answered. The intensity of his stare almost made her look away. "And it's not only about the players. The chanting, the booing...the crowd makes or breaks a team's spirit. And don't forget the snitch. For a seeker, catching it makes all the difference between glory and defeat.

"But it's not just the game," he continued. "It's flying. It's the only time I feel free and, let's face it, it's the only thing I'm good at."

3 years and still, nothing's changed. She could see it in the way his eyes flit to the floor, the momentary lapse in his obnoxious demeanor revealing the insecurity he did an excellent job of hiding. He not only exposed his greatest passion but also his greatest fear in that split second.

"You're too hard on yourself, Jack," Elsa said. The seriousness in her tone made him glance at her strangely. "You're more than just another jock on a broom. And you might act like a moron but you're far from one."

Repositioning the telescope to once again point at the star cluster, Elsa shifted the dials to adjust the focus. After a few moments, she became aware of Jack's eyes on her.

"What?" she asked, looking back at him.

Jack was grinning. "...have I been hit with a Confundus spell or did Miss Perfect just give me a compliment?"

A blush splashed across her cheeks, causing Elsa to duck back down and stare into the telescope. "It was hardly a compliment. I said you 'act like a moron'. That's not something to be proud of, Mr. Frost."

"And back to the last name basis," Jack said, jokingly tsking. He poked her in the side, causing her to yelp in surprise. "And here I thought we were making progress."

She swatted his hand away as he attempted to poke her a second time. "_Progress_ would be you mapping the cluster. What you're doing right now is distracting me."

Jack picked up the quill and parchment, placing the ink container on the window sill. "And back to business. Sometimes, I think you're allergic to _fun_, princess."

Elsa wanted to remind him not to call her that but her request always fell on deaf ears.

"Astronomy is important. Even future star seekers need to know their astronomy," Elsa said, making one last final adjustment on the dials. "Parchment."

His fingers brushed hers as he handed it over to her. It made her pulse pick up ever slightly.

"You really mean that?"

She knew his dreams were filled with World Cup glory and a golden snitch fighting to escape his grip. It was practically the first thing he ever said to her, all those years ago, when he had introduced himself as, "Jackson Overland Frost, Master of Mischief and future Montrose Magpies seeker." Even with her pulse racing, she found she couldn't deny voicing the one truth she still believed.

"I've always believed in you, Jack," she responded. "I never stopped."

It may have went against every rule she had made for herself, but the way he smiled at her made her think some rules were worth breaking.


	3. A Miss

**A/N:** Hello, Jelsa shippers! Here is the next part! I've been trying to get each part out faster but work has been getting in the way.

Just to warn you, this chapter will have mentions of side ships and other pairings (Flynnstrid, Hanna, Kristanna, Jarida). Yeah...some of them are pretty random. But don't worry! It's still going to end up Jelsa.

Let me know what you guys think! Happy reading :)

Oh, and to address the comment about Jelsa being James/Lily: I was totally thinking that the other day, too!

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"It's already 11 am," Jack whined, collapsing on the parchment. The ink vial teetered dangerously close to their notes so Elsa grabbed it before it could spill over.

"Be more careful," she scolded him. She placed it out of harm's way and nudged him with her elbow. "And stay focused. We've only been studying for 3 hours."

"3 hours?!" Jack moaned like a helpless animal, earning him an eye roll from Elsa. "My brain's about to explode. How much longer do we have to do this for?"

Jack wasn't a stranger to getting up early on Sundays, especially since most of the Slytherin weekend practices were scheduled on Sunday mornings. This had been the result of a "friendly" duel between the Gryffindor quidditch captain Kristoff and Hans earlier in the year. The disarmed party would be left to spend the remainder of the season practicing in the mornings while the winner took the afternoons. Hans had been annoyed at how quick Kristoff knocked the wand out of his hand but the humiliation of the loss was not nearly as bad as the sting of having to get up at the crack of dawn on Sundays for the rest of the year. Jack may have gotten used to it but it didn't mean he liked it.

"Until the next Wizarding War happens or we are rendered incapable of opening another book," Elsa said, happily skimming through a book on the Goblin Rights movement. How she could even look thrilled to be reading something so dry boggled Jack.

"The second one applies to me," he declared. "I feel like my brain is melting out of my skull."

"Then you can go, Jack," Elsa said, her eyes not even leaving the page. Jack sat up straighter in his seat, adjusting his dark blue hoodie but he had the feeling that even if he snuck out, she wouldn't notice. She was in that place she goes to when she's in full study mode. "We got through a lot this morning and you've caught up with all your homework. You don't need to spend the rest of the day with me."

Jack knew that he didn't have to be there. In the three weeks since they started, his grades had very gradually gone up. He was now completing assignments and managed to pass all of his tests, even if just barely. Without quidditch, his schedule had cleared up a lot more and since he had free periods, he found he was actually doing homework in the library instead of running out to the pitch to practice on his broomstick. Not only was he almost passing Potions, Astronomy, and History of Magic, but his grades in DoDA, Charms, Muggle Studies, and Transfiguration had gone up since he was also putting more effort into those classes.

He knew it was all because of Elsa, for pushing him and not putting up with his slacking off. And at first, he hated having to be stuck with her for hours at a time. But as they got to know each other again, he became familiar once more with her endearing quirks: whenever she found a calculation in astronomy too difficult, she would scrunch her nose. Or when she had to memorize dates, she would put them into rhyme and attempt to teach the rhymes to him.

"_In 1604, Goblins said no more, the rebellion had begun and their servitude was done," Elsa had said. "And in 1858, Oswald Beamish said stop the hate, the Goblins' Rights document was passed, and Gringotts bank returned at last, to the goblins in 1865."_

Jack still remembered chuckling at Elsa's ridiculous rhyme and calling her a dork. She had pretended to look put off but even he could see how she struggled to hold back a smile.

Now, he had done a complete 180. Today was a Hogsmeade day, the school was preparing to escort the students into Hogsmeade at any minute, and he found he would rather spend the rest of the afternoon with Elsa, even if it meant being lectured on magical creatures' rights. Or missing out on what little free time he had in the last few weeks to see his friends.

"I'll stick around," he decided. He reached for the book on Transfiguration Potions he had been studying earlier.

Elsa looked at him, surprised. "Are you sure? It's a Hogsmeade weekend. You've been saying all week you couldn't wait to go."

Jack shrugged his shoulders, feeling his face suddenly grow hot. He pretended to be very interested in the book. "I know. But I really gotta review this for that potions' test tomorrow. I keep confusing the ingredients for the polyjuice and manegro potions."

Although his brain protested and his eyes were blurred as they skimmed the book, not really focused and too worn out to care, he remained huddled over it, to give off the impression of a serious student.

The sound of laughter coming from his right almost startled him. He looked at Elsa in surprise as her entire body shook with mirth. In fact, she was laughing so hard that she was clutching her sides.

He couldn't deny how different she looked in that moment. She was always so serious and well put together, not letting much more than a small smile pass her lips. For once, she seemed to let go of her reservations and it was refreshing to see her be so free.

But, seeing as she was laughing _at him_ and not _with him_, he couldn't help but feel a bit indignant. "What's so funny?"

Her laughter subsided and she looked straight at him with her bright, blue eyes. He had forgotten how lively they could be. "Your book," she giggled.

Jack stiffened. "…what about my book?"

"It's upside down."

Jack looked down at his hands and realized he had, in fact, been pretending to read an upside down book for the last five minutes.

"Merlin, someone Avada Kedavra me right now," he groaned, dropping his head heavily on the table. "Told you my brain was melting."

After another minute, Jack felt Elsa's fingers gingerly touch his shoulder. An even deeper blush filled his cheeks but he was still too embarrassed to look up at her anyway. "It's okay, Jack. I won't be offended if you leave. I don't mind studying by myself."

_By myself. _That was the crux of the problem right there. Elsa was content to be alone, would rather discipline her mind than experience anything outside of her comfort zone. It was why the only way Jack could get her to spend any time with him would be to sit down for hours and pretend he was focused on their studies.

But if that was how it was going to be, he was prepared to give up his afternoon.

He was about to tell her he was staying when the sound of approaching footsteps made him look up.

"Elsa!" Anna said excitedly, running so quickly she nearly slipped and collided into the table. She caught herself at the last moment and grinned widely, as if her near-accident hadn't happened at all. "Guess what today is!"

She, similar to Jack, was decked out in Muggle clothing. Although some purebloods still chose to wear robes, Muggle fashion trends had crept into the Wizarding World over the last few decades and now, even most born of wizards and witches donned jeans and t-shirts. Today, Jack had chosen simple brown trousers and his favorite hoodie while Anna had gone for a yellow cardigan and a pair of comfortable jeans. Elsa, like always, was immaculate in her uniform, tie et al.

"Is it Easter?" Elsa joked, earning an eye-roll from her sister.

"It's too late to be Easter," Anna retorted. "It's a Hogsmeade Day and you're not going to believe what happened!"

Anna was so excited, it seemed as if her body was attempting to jump out of its skin. She looked at Elsa impatiently, waiting for the Ravenclaw to prod her into dishing out the latest gossip.

"Well, I'm guessing that even if I don't ask, you're going to tell me anyway," Elsa replied, with a smile. "So, what's the latest news?"

Anna took a deep breath. It was all warning Jack and Elsa had for whatever gossip Anna was about to unleash.

"RememberwhenyoutoldmeIshouldntdateaguyIjustmetandIgotreallymadandsaidyouarentthebossofme," she said, so quickly that even Jack's jaw had to drop.

"…were you just speaking Mermish?" Jack asked, trying to decipher the long string of words that had just assaulted his ears.

Even Elsa didn't seem to catch it. "Anna, say it again. _Slowly."_

Anna breathed once more. "Remember, you told me not to date Hans because we had just met and I don't know him that well and you said he's probably a good guy but maybe he just wants one thing and you wouldn't tell me the thing but you said one day I'd get it and I got really mad and said you can't control me and then we didn't speak for like a month? Well, it turns out you were right."

Jack was amazed that she had said that entire sentence without stopping to take a breath.

Elsa, on the other hand, went absolutely pale. "Merlin, Anna, you didn't…"

Anna blinked and looked incredibly confused. A moment later, her face was beet red. "No, no. No! Not that! I didn't do that! That's not what I mean!"

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Anna, don't scare me like that," Elsa said, clutching her chest as if she had just narrowly escaped having a stroke.

"Well, if you'd just let me finish…" Anna said, with a small pout.

Elsa sighed. "Alright. Enlighten me. What was I right about? You being too young to date?"

"I'm 15," Anna protested, folding her arms over her chest. "That's hardly too young to date. In fact, Astrid even told me that she had her first boyfriend when she was 13! And she was 15 when she—"

"Anna, the point," Elsa groaned.

Jack cocked a brow. He always knew Astrid, the Gryffindor beater, was a bit of a firecracker, but he always thought Flynn had just been shooting his mouth off.

"Right. The point," Anna said, looking a bit nervously at her sister. She took another deep breath and then blurted out excitedly, "KRISTOFF ASKED ME TO GO WITH HIM TO MADAME PUDDIFOOT'S TODAY!"

"Wait—what?!" Elsa said, suddenly jolting up from the table. The vial of ink spilled all over her notes but she took no notice of it. "As in 7th year Kristoff Vanderhoof?!"

Anna and Jack winced as Elsa's voice hit a high pitch. She looked like she couldn't decide if she wanted to scold Anna for dating an older wizard (or maybe just for dating in general) or stalk the 7th year Gryffindor and demand to know what he thinks he was doing with her sister.

"Before you get mad," Anna cut in quickly, "I just want you to know that I love you and I have thought long and hard about what you said. And jumping into things with Hans would have been bad because, like, _everyone _knows that Hans is almost as bad as Flynn and can't keep it in his robes—"

Jack felt this was the point where he should have jumped in to defend the honor of his housemates. Then again, even he couldn't deny they were incredibly obnoxious about their 'girlfriends'.

"—but Kristoff is different," she said, with a dreamy sigh. "Like, he's not handsome like Hans. Or clever like Hiccup. Or really that spectacular at anything outside of quidditch—"

Elsa was struggling so hard to not cut in and declare everything wrong with this situation that her eye was beginning to twitch.

"—but he's a good wizard. He's taken the time to get to know me and he's been helping me prepare for the O.W.L.s, and he's been spending lunch with me and telling me all about quidditch…"

She paused and looked at her sister hopefully, bracing herself for the worst.

When Elsa finally found her voice, she asked, "How long has this been going on for?"

Anna winced. "Uh…about a month?"

"Only a month?" Elsa said, with a small frown.

"Yeah, so…uh…well, I just…look, Elsa, I'm going on this date," Anna said firmly, though she still looked to her sister worriedly, "and I know you think I'm too young but I promise I'm not going to do anything you wouldn't do—"

"I wouldn't go on the date in the first place," Elsa muttered but even if it was heard, it fell on deaf ears.

"—and I don't want this to cause problems between us. So please please please please don't be mad at me!"

She looked up at Elsa with large, hopeful eyes. Jack could see Elsa struggle, probably between saying what she believed her sister should do and giving her consent to let Anna live her life. A long moment passed, the tension so thick that Jack felt incredibly awkward to be thrown in the middle of this. But Elsa finally released a small, defeated sigh.

"I still think you're a bit young," Elsa started, but even she couldn't bear watching the crestfallen look on Anna's face, "but I know that I can't stop you. So I hope you and Kristoff have fun today."

Anna squealed so loudly, Jack had to cover his ears. She reached across the table and enveloped Elsa in a tight hug. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Before Elsa could say anything else, Anna was already flying out the room, no doubt going to meet up with Kristoff for their date. Elsa had fallen into stunned silence while Jack watched her quizzically, not really sure what to do or say. After about a minute of contemplative silence, she finally looked up at Jack.

"Grab your things," she said.

Before Jack could ask why, Elsa was already moving books, quills, and soiled parchment into her Bag of Holding. Not waiting for Jack to comply, she also began throwing his things into her pouch. Once everything was gathered, she shoved the pouch into her robes and took off towards the door.

"Elsa, where are you going?"

Elsa strolled back in a few, quick strides, grabbing Jack by his hoodie and dragging him along with her. "_We,_" she responded, "are going on a date."

Jack's eyebrows nearly shot up into his skull. "Wait—WHAT?!"

* * *

"When you said 'date', this wasn't what I had in mind."

The low, romantic lighting made it hard to see anything on the menu. More frustrating, it was only noon in the middle of May and curtains covered the windows, blocking out all natural light. The shop had been decorated with candles and the warm glow was meant to add to the atmosphere as couples huddled together in Madame Puddifoots.

Jack, however, was really not feeling it. He tried to lower the menu Elsa was hiding behind but she yelped in panic and shoved her face farther inside.

"Jack, what are you doing?!" she whispered, frantically. He could barely make out her voice and had to strain to hear her.

Sitting not far from them, a very love-struck Anna was obliviously giggling along to something Kristoff had said. As the couple laughed, Kristoff reached out and gently took Anna's hand. Even with the low lighting, Jack could just make out the faint blush that spread over Anna's cheeks.

"They're holding hands!" Elsa yelped. She finally lowered the menu, her hands gripping it so tightly Jack worried she was going to tear it. She narrowed her eyes at Kristoff. "That better be all he holds…"

Not even caring in anyone saw them anymore, Jack pulled down his hood and ruffled his hair. It was way too warm in here and his hair had been sticking uncomfortably to his forehead. Unfortunately, Elsa had nearly thrown her drink at him when he put it down the first time. But his patience was wearing thin and he figured he would deal with Hurricane Elsa should her ire resurface. "Look, princess, this whole 'overprotective' sister act was cute at first but…now I'm starting to feel like a creeper…"

"Don't call me 'princess'," she halfheartedly mumbled, her eyes still completely fixed on Kristoff. If looks could kill…

"And besides, whatever happened to 'I would never date Jack Frost,'" Jack mumbled, "You birds are more changeable than Professor Toothiana's wardobe."

"Jack," Elsa hissed, though he didn't miss the blood filling her cheeks. Whether from anger or embarrassment, he couldn't be sure. "That's irrelevant. And this is NOT a real date. Merlin, must you always make a scene about everything?!"

Anger it was then. But even with the low chatter going on around them, Elsa's voice seemed to carry above the rest, causing a few couples seated nearby to glance over at their table.

"I don't think I'm the one making a scene, princess," Jack pointed out, chuckling.

Noticing the stares, Elsa made a squeak and tried to hide even deeper into the menu.

"Elsa," he said more firmly. Not thinking, he grabbed her hand. But the moment he came into contact with her pale, smooth skin, it sent a warm tingle rushing up through his arm. Her eyes flew to his in surprise, the menu falling into the space between them. Jack dropped her hand as if he had been burned.

"You need to let her live her life," he said, trying to will the heat from his face. But his voice trailed off as he became transfixed by the intense look Elsa was giving him, her eyes widening as if she was only just realizing where they were and what was happening. Jack could feel his pulse racing, its steady beat filling his ears and drowning out the white noise of chatter in the background.

But as his words reached her, she experienced a very delayed reaction. Her expression fell and she tore her eyes away from Jack. Whatever had just happened, it was broken as once again, Jack was brought back to the world of cliché scented candles and the sickly sweet stench of honey tea.

"I don't want her to stop needing me," Elsa admitted, with a sad sigh.

Jack took a small sip of his lemon water, the only thing he had been able to stomach from the menu. The forlorn expression on her face made him feel worse. But the more cynical side of him wanted to remind her that Anna had stopped needing her a long time ago.

"She's 15. She needs to experience the world sometime. You can't expect her to hide away forever," Jack reasoned. And as much as he was coming to Anna's defense, he couldn't help but think that Anna wasn't the one who needed it.

Elsa played with the napkin, rolling the cloth through her fingers. She looked up a bit defensively at Jack. "It's easy for you to say when it's not your sister being manhandled by that—that _troll_." But even as she attempted to insult Kristoff, who she had never had any reason to dislike, guilt flashed over her face. "What if that was Emily?"

Jack thought of his younger sister, a 2nd year who had been sorted into Hufflepuff. His recent detentions and scheduled study sessions had given him less time to spend with her, a fact he felt incredibly guilty about. He was quite overprotective of her, similar to how he was with Jamie, and in that regard, he at least understood where Elsa was coming from.

"If that was Emma," Jack said, referring fondly to the nickname he always called her, "Vanderhoof would need _skelegro _to fix the number I'd do on his teeth. But Emma's only 12, Elsa!"

Elsa worried her lip between her teeth, throwing another glance at her sister's table. Jack could tell she was torn over what to do and the realization that Anna was making decisions that didn't involve frivolous things like her hair and clothes, was hitting Elsa hard. He reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Anna looks up to you and she loves you very much," Jack said, softly. "She doesn't want to disappoint you so you know she won't do anything that hurts you or herself."

Elsa released a shaky sigh, running a hand through her platinum blond hair. It mussed the usually perfect, French braid but it made Jack's lips curl into a small smile, like watching her slowly unwind. She lifted her gaze and smiled apologetically.

"You're right," she said. Then, added, "for once."

Jack chuckled. "C'mon. Let's get out of here before they see us. I hear Honeydukes is having a sale on chocolate."

Elsa's eyes lit up at the mention of chocolate.

* * *

It was strange being outside of the castle on a sunny afternoon. In fact, Elsa couldn't remember the last time she had went out to Hogsmeade. Maybe in 4th year when Anna had dragged her along? It really had been years and she forgot what it was like to be part of the crowd of students milling about from shop to shop. There were so many things to look at, old acquaintances to catch up with, and just being outside and away from her quill and parchment reminded Elsa that life did exist outside of the classroom.

After trying out numerous chocolates in Honeydukes, Elsa and Jack had settled on the classic fudge, a best seller and nostalgic favorite. With neither being overly fond of sweet foods, it was the one dessert that they met eye-to-eye on and as Elsa bit into it, she was reminded of her younger years at Hogwarts, the time before O.W.L.s and thestrals…

"So, not bad for a first 'date', huh?" Jack joked, elbowing her in the side.

Elsa pushed aside the dark thoughts, feeling a small blush stain her cheeks. "I wouldn't call spying on my sister a 'date'. Unless that's your idea of a date, in which case, I'd seriously question your priorities, Mr. Frost."

Jack groaned dramatically, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Again with the 'Mr. Frost'. You're making me feel old here, princess."

Elsa side-eyed Jack as the left Hogsmeade, walking leisurely along the road between the school and the village. She wasn't quite sure when things had gotten this comfortable between them, when she had started relaxing around Jack. Even the once condescending name _princess,_ which he used to rile her up, now sounded like a term of endearment.

"And you're making me feel negligent," she said. "I don't think I've opened a book in the last five hours."

"That's not negligence," Jack replied, with a grin. "That's what most witches and wizards would call 'progress'. _All work and no play makes Elsa a dull girl._"

"Really, Jack?" Elsa said, doing her best to look a little hurt, "is this your way of saying I'm boring?"

The sad lilt in her voice immediately had Jack changing gears. "No—that's not—what I mean is…you're not boring but you don't really—"

Elsa wasn't able to keep her serious expression for long. She broke into a fit of giggles and it took a few moments for Jack to realize she had been joking.

"Way to put me on the spot like that," he grumbled. But he didn't seem the least bit vexed, bumping his shoulder into hers as they continued their trek up the path. The silence that fell between them was comfortable and Elsa felt more at ease than she had in a long time. Even knowing that a good part of her day had gone to socializing instead of studying, didn't bother her like it usually would.

After a few minutes, they stopped at the top of the hill, watching the view of Hogwarts spread out below them. Jack leaned comfortably against a tree, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of fudge, while Elsa sat on the ground, legs folded beneath her. She had taken off her robes and shoved them into her enchanted pouch since it was far too warm to be wearing them. It still gave her little respite from the heat but she at least didn't feel as weighed down by them.

Some moments later, Jack plopped down on the ground beside her. "So this was really your first time out in a while, yeah?"

Elsa wasn't sure if he expected an answer. Anything she came up with in her head sounded pathetic. "I don't really get out much."

"You really haven't been out on a date before?"

Why the conversation diverted so quickly to this topic caused Elsa's brows to furrow. Already, her mind was racing to connect the dots, draw the inferences, and deduce the purpose. But there were some things she wasn't ready to think about and sometimes, it was better to let the truth reveal itself. "No. It's…I guess no one has ever asked me…"

She wasn't trying to sound pitiful. Dating was something she never really thought about, so she quickly added, "It's not something I've wanted to try."

Jack held out the fudge to her and Elsa broke a piece off of it. It had completely escaped her mind that her and Jack had both been chewing off the same piece of chocolate. It should have bothered her more than it did but a sudden question popped into her head, pushing her curiosity to the forefront of her mind. "Have you ever dated anyone?"

Jack's eye brows shot up, the question taking him by as much surprise as Elsa. Both exchanged a bashful look, Jack's cheeks coloring to a violent shade of red. "I—uh—yeah. I've been on a date."

Surprisingly, Elsa felt a bitter sting at his confession. She knew it wasn't sensible, she had no reason to feel this way, but she struggled to keep her face neutral as she tackled the flurry of emotions racing in her chest. Luckily, Jack was still looking away, too embarrassed to meet her eye.

"I had a girlfriend last year," he said, giving a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "But it didn't work out."

"O-oh," was all Elsa could say. Still, her curiosity made her press forward, "From Hogwarts."

Jack was silent for a moment. "Yeah."

He bit off another piece of the fudge. As he chewed on it, he folded his knees up into his chest. The light breeze ruffled his hair, making it more unruly than it usually was. Elsa almost wanted to reach up and tame the locks but her heart was pounding so rapidly, she found herself unable to fixate on anything else but Jack's carefully chosen words.

"It was Merida," he said after a while. Elsa finally bit into the piece of fudge Jack had given her but the taste of it no longer had its warm effect on her.

"She was something else," Jack continued, with a wistful smile. He laughed and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to tame it on his own. "Energetic, bold…she never puts up with anyone's crap. I liked that about her, still do. And we had our fun for a few months, but…"

It was almost strange to hear anyone confide in her. Elsa was used to Anna telling her everything under the sun but these days, that ended up being more gossip than anything else. It was part of why Elsa felt as upset about Anna dating since Anna no longer needed her advice but felt confident enough to make her own decisions.

So, being on the receiving end of someone spilling out intimate details about themself, Elsa felt a little awkward, like she shouldn't be the one privy to Jack's personal life. But she kept silent as he continued.

"—she said she wanted someone 'more serious'," Jack said, with a bit of a sad sigh. Another pause. He kicked a rock gently with his toe, watching absently as it rolled a few times. Then, with a forced laugh, added, "And let's face it; 'serious' isn't really my style."

"Jack…"

But Elsa couldn't really find the words.

Jack looked over at her and smiled. It was melancholic but at least genuine. "It's alright. We're still friends. We had our fun. We just…we don't really work."

It was quite shocking to Elsa, that she shared many classes with Merida and Jack and hadn't known they were dating. She recalled that they had been partners in potions a few times last year (probably the only reason he hadn't gotten a 'Troll' on his O.W.L.), but she had never thought anything had been going on between the Slytherin and Gryffindor.

Failing to think of anything else, an apology spilled from her lips. "I'm sorry. I…I never noticed."

"You usually don't," Jack said, quietly.

It was like being cut with a knife. There was an underlying bitterness that spoke of the years lost between them. Even without the tension that fell in what little space separated them, Elsa felt worlds away from Jack, knowing that someone she once knew better than the back of her own hand had grown into a stranger.

With only a few words, the air between them shifted. Suddenly, Elsa wanted nothing more than to get back to her books and hide until this feeling went away.

She stood up abruptly. "I should get back."

Jack gave her a noncommittal grunt, still looking out into the distance.

"Thanks for…for today," Elsa whispered. She stood there awkwardly, trying to think of some way to cut the tension or exit this conversation before it suffocated her. "I'll…I'll see you on Tuesday."

"Yeah, see you around."

And with that, Elsa walked the rest of the distance in record time. It wasn't until she was safely tucked away in her dorm room that she felt the prickle of dried tears on her cheeks.


	4. A Kiss

**A/N:** I have been going back and forth with this chapter. I think the biggest problem I've had was that this fic initially read like a series of short drabbles and I've tried to expand it to make it more of a story. So each part has had new content added to it from when I first wrote it back it in April, hence why it takes me forever to update.

It's all winding down. The next chapter will conclude everything and I'll try and get it out as soon as I can (currently, work-related stuff is dominating my time offline). Thanks for all the support you've offered so far and don't hesitate to let me know what you really think. Happy reading!

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"You like her."

The comment took Jack by surprise. He hadn't expected Emily to notice, or to even care, about his spending more time with Elsa. But every denial waiting on the edge of his tongue would be contradicted by the flash of color spilling across his cheeks.

"Finish your sandwich, Em."

Emily giggled before taking a bite out her ham and cheese toast. She brushed crumbs off her robes. "You should go talk to her. She's all alone."

Jack tossed a glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, Elsa was sitting by herself, hunched over one of her textbooks as she bit into an apple. With his detention finally over, Jack was now able to get back to having lunch in the Great Hall. But he was surprised to see Elsa not scurrying off to the library to study. Truth is, they hadn't really talked after the Hogsmeade outing, only meeting up to go over their homework and then parting ways once the tension got too hard to bear. Jack felt more than a little guilty but also wasn't sure how to make things right.

"She wants to be alone," Jack said, turning back to his sister.

But Emily, for all her shyness, was determined when she set her mind to something. Picking up her plate, she started walking over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Em, what are you doing?!" Jack whispered.

She either didn't hear him or didn't care.

As she sat across from Elsa, Jack could see Elsa lift her head in surprise. He was expecting her to turn Emily away but instead, she smiled shyly at his sister and began talking to her.

Before he even knew what he was doing, Jack shuffled over to the table.

"—promised he'd take me to the Quidditch World Cup this summer!" Emily squealed excitedly.

Elsa laughed. "I didn't know you also liked quidditch."

"Like it? I love quidditch!" Emily exclaimed. "I hope the Chudley Cannons get the League Cup this year!"

Jack mussed Emily's hair, causing her to swat at his hand. She made a face as Jack plopped down on the bench beside her. "Even if the entire team downed a cauldron of Felix Felicis, they still wouldn't beat the Montrose Magpies. You're in second year, Em. I thought you'd have better taste by now."

Emily huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You only like the Montrose Magpies because Eirene Vega is their seeker. I bet if she played for the Cannons, you'd think they were the greatest team ever."

"Would not," Jack said. "And Vega wouldn't play for the Cannons. Not unless she wants to become the laughing stock of Britain."

"Stop acting like she's sooo talented. Everyone knows you only like her because she's got bo—ow!"

Emily rubbed her side and glared at Jack.

"Jack, don't elbow your sister," Elsa said, giving Jack a disproving look.

Jack would protest but the dirty looks he was receiving from Emily and Elsa made him realize he was outnumbered. Instead, he mumbled an apology under his breath and ignored Emily's triumphant smirk.

"So what team do you like, Elsa?" Emily asked.

"She doesn't like quidditch," Jack said.

Emily looked at Elsa in shock, the latter shrugging sheepishly.

"Are you serious?"

"I didn't grow up with quidditch," Elsa said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"But quidditch is so amazing! You should come with us to the Quidditch World Cup this summer. I'm sure mum could get us an extra ticket."

"No, it's alright. You don't have to go out of your way for me," Elsa added, looking even more uncomfortable.

"You should ask mum first before you go inviting people, Em," Jack said. He could feel that familiar flush heat his cheeks, something that's been happening more and more around Elsa lately. As he exchanged a look with the Ravenclaw, he could also see a blush spread across her cheeks.

"Dad works for the Ministry," Emily retorted. "And he ALWAYS gets free tickets. I'm sure he could get another. Besides, if you don't pass your exams, Mum said you're not going. So I can take Elsa."

"Em…" Jack groaned. He really didn't want to be reminded of how much depended on him getting through exams. It seemed everything Quidditch had to revolve around his stupid exams.

"That's—that's really sweet of you...but unnecessary because Jack is going to do well on his finals," Elsa said. "I promise."

"It's so nice of you to help my brother," Emily gushed. Jack could feel his face get redder. "You know, he really appreciates it. He was even telling me the other day how you're so nice and smart and beaut—"

"Emma!"

Jack covered his hand over his sister's mouth, earning him a hard slap on the shoulder. Elsa had become so uncomfortable, she looked like she wanted to apparate out of the Great Hall.

"Jack, what the hell?!"

"I think Pippa's looking for you!"

Emily opened her mouth to protest but then she looked to where Jack was pointing to and saw Pippa, another 2nd year Hufflepuff, waving at her from across the Great Hall. With a withering look, Emily stood up.

"It was nice meeting you, Elsa," Emily said. As she walked away, Jack released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. But before getting out of earshot, Emily turned and shouted, "Oh, and Jack thinks you're hot!"

Some of the Ravenclaws sitting nearby snickered at the two of them. Elsa looked ready to die of embarrassment while Jack dropped his head on the table. Some days, he really hated having a sister.

* * *

The final weeks of the school year flew by quickly. In a flash, classes had ended and exams had started. Most students locked themselves in the common rooms or their dorms as they poured over their textbooks and scrawled hours upon hours of notes. For those unable to handle the chatter that inevitably occurs in the presence of their friends, they sought refuge in the library where less noise would be tolerated.

Leading up to the exams, things had started out awkward at first between Elsa and Jack. Like always, Jack could describe the situation as 'Complicated' because everything with Elsa was so damn complicated. In the beginning, he had expected some sort of confrontation where at least she would acknowledge the hippogriff in the room. But instead, she chose to pretend that the Hogsmeade day and Emily's comments hadn't happened and things fell into a familiar pattern, one that drove Jack crazy. Eventually, it was all forgotten and they were so consumed with studying, there was little time to think of anything else.

"Freedom!" Jack exclaimed, walking out of their final History of Magic exam and stretching his arms far above his head. "It is just me so does the air taste that much sweeter?"

From behind him, he heard Elsa sigh. "Really, Jack, it was _just _an exam."

"No more exams for another 6 months!" Jack said, pumping one of his firsts. "And no more books and homework, no more of Gothel's horrendous lectures or Goblin rebellions or House Elf Charter of Rights…no more studying!"

He looked over at Elsa with a huge grin, holding back a chuckle as he saw the completely crestfallen look on her face. "Please don't remind me," she said, with a sad sigh. Only Elsa could look absolutely heartbroken over the prospect of summer vacation.

"Cheer up!" Jack grinned, nudging her. "There's so much more you can do with your time. You could take up quidditch!"

"You know I absolutely _hate _flying," Elsa responded shaking her head. She paused for a moment and smiled. "Come to think of it, I guess now I have time to catch up on that Magical Theory book I've been reading…"

"You're hopeless," Jack said, with a groan.

They walked together down the hall, both experiencing mixed feelings over the impending end of the school year. For Jack, there was elation for the summer but also some sadness. The last quidditch game was in a few days, followed by the year end Feast and while he didn't want to return to his studies, he also didn't want to wait a whole season to play quidditch again.

Also adding to his melancholy was what the future held for his newfound camaraderie with Elsa. She had slowly let herself go, even if she avoided anything that tied him to her past. It actually felt good to have her in his life again, even if she was only doing it for House Points.

Similar to 3 years ago, he couldn't help but feel that they were going to part ways only to return months later complete strangers. He couldn't let that happen again and with their agreement coming to an end, now was the time to change their course and do something drastic.

Pausing outside the portrait leading to Ravenclaw tower, Elsa gave Jack a small smile.

"Well, this is me."

She answered the riddle given to her and turned to enter the Ravenclaw common room.

"Elsa, wait," Jack said.

Elsa looked back at Jack quizzically. "Yes?"

He felt his palms start to sweat and wiped them on his robes. He fidgeted a little, shifting his weight between his feet as he tried to will the question to come out. "Can you…that is…want to come by the quidditch pitch later?"

Elsa looked confused. "What for?"

"Some of us are going to practice for the game on Saturday," Jack said. "You can come watch…or, you know, bring a book if it's not really your thing…"

"…I'm not really into quidditch…" Elsa started.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Jack cut in. He could feel his cheeks heat over how desperate he must have sounded. "But with exams finished, I thought maybe…we could have a little fun or, you know, hang out…"

Elsa's posture tensed and he could tell she was incredibly hesitant. She seemed to struggle to find the words, probably trying to think of the easiest way to let him down, and he braced himself for the inevitable rejection.

But, to his surprise, she gave him a shaky, unsure smile. "I'll…see what I can do…"

It wasn't quite a yes. It was a _maybe_ and if history were to dictate the outcome, a _maybe _from Elsa often led to disappointment. But Jack would take what he could get.

"Great, I'll see you later…maybe," he said, scratching the back of his neck bashfully.

Elsa smiled shyly and returned to the common room, the faint blush on her cheeks filling Jack with hope that this time _maybe _would mean _yes_.

* * *

The elation Jack had felt at first had quickly disappeared when he noticed the empty bleachers of the pitch. Today, there was only himself, Flynn, and Jamie, with the rest of their teammates either taking a much needed rest from studying or cramming because they still had an exam to write. Jack tried not to look disappointed as he was very warmly greeted by his friends.

But if he was crestfallen by Elsa's failure to show up, that was very quickly forgotten once he mounted his broomstick and took off into the air. Zooming across the pitch, racing around the pillars, and flying upside down in a loop, he crowed at the top of his lungs. It felt like he was finally home. Even if it meant spending every waking moment outside of practice next year cramming, he silently vowed he would never, EVER let anything take this away from him again.

Quidditch robes billowing about him, he spent the first half hour chasing after the snitch, reacquainting himself with the feel of the Firebolt between his legs. He had a few shaky experiences, nearly crashing into the pillars once or twice, but he found his balance again and seamlessly slipped into top form, as if he hadn't taken a weeks-long hiatus.

As the practice continued, the three Slytherins shifted positions so they all had an opportunity to hone their skills. After Flynn and Jamie practiced as beaters, trying to throw off Jack's game (and failing) as he pursued the snitch, Jack found himself in front of the three goal posts. He really hated playing keeper but he was quicker than Jamie on the broom and Jamie was currently hitting bludgers at Flynn to prevent the chaser from scoring on Jack.

After failing to block the quaffle once more from passing through the lower ring, Jack hung upside down on his broom and bemoaned his lack of skill. "How does Hans do this?"

Flynn laughed, flying beneath the upside down seeker and poking him in the face. Jack swatted his hand away and folded his arms over his chest. "Cut the theatrics, Frost. You're only making it that much easier."

"You try defending these three rings," Jack said, cocking a brow challengingly. He flipped right side up and stretched his arms lazily over his head. "How much longer are we gonna do this for?"

They must have been out here for nearly 2 hours already. The sun was now starting to set, hues of orange and red coloring the sky. Pretty soon, it would be too dark to play anyway.

"I think it's time we called it a night," Flynn said. Smirking, he added, "I think your girlfriend is starting to get bored."

Jack did a double-take. "My what?"

Jack looked across the pitch to where Flynn indicated and his pulse raced a little faster as he saw a blond head poke above a book covering the girl's face. The blue and bronze scarf was all the confirmation he needed.

"Merlin," he groaned, blood rushing up to his face, "how long has she been there?"

"If you mean has she been there long enough to see you get hit in the face by a quaffle and nearly topple into the post then, yeah, she saw it. I laughed. She laughed. It was great."

"You can be a real arse," Jack mumbled. It was probably one of the most embarrassing things that's happened to him in the pitch all year. And of course, Elsa had to be there to see it.

"If it makes you feel better, it's the only time she's looked up from that book in the last hour."

"You know, I really hate you sometimes, _Eugene,_" Jack said, watching with satisfaction as Flynn cringed.

"Truce," he said, throwing up his hands.

They joked around for a few more minutes, Jamie eventually joining in. Shortly after, the parted ways, agreeing to meet up with whoever could make it the next afternoon to practice. Jack was starting to feel less worried about being out of practice but he knew a little more wouldn't hurt.

After hugging Jamie goodbye and clapping Flynn on the shoulder, Jack pocketed his lucky snitch and took off from the field of the pitch. He flew up to where Elsa was sitting in the stands, hovering beside her. She shyly placed the book down in her lap, a quick glance at the title confirming Jack's suspicions about it being the Magical Theory book she mentioned earlier.

"That was some great flying out there," she started, but couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice.

Jack frowned and lightly touched the bruise on his cheek. "Don't judge me for that. I'm not even a keeper!"

"Is that wounded pride I detect?" she asked, arching a brow.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," he said, managing to look a bit offended. But he laughed it off after a few seconds, a mischievous glint coming to his eyes. "You know, you really can't judge until you've tried navigating a broom with bludgers flying at you from every direction."

He lowered himself so he was hovering closer to her, his hand out-stretched.

Elsa's eyes widened. "Jack—don't you dare even think—"

She screamed as he pulled her up across his lap, her arms thrown around his neck and her face buried into his chest. It made him think of 1st year, when they had started learning how to fly. Jack had already had years of experience, having grown up in the wizarding world and being taught by his father to fly at a young age. Unlike Jack, Elsa knew nothing about broomsticks and had cried and struggled her way through flying class, managing to do just the bare minimum to satisfy the instructor. As soon as she could, she abandoned the broomstick for good and Jack teased her relentlessly for her fear of flying.

Now, cradling her in his arms, Jack felt the guilt consume him. It was only a joke and as a child, her fears had been a source of amusement for him. It was far less funny when she was shaking and holding onto him for dear life.

"Elsa," he whispered, running a hand reassuringly over her back. "Hey, it's okay. Look! We're not even in the air."

It was a bit of lie since they were hovering over the bleachers. But Jack's feet were just barely touching the bench beneath him so even if he did drop her, the fall would be uncomfortable at most but not nearly life threatening.

Elsa lifted her head, her hand gripping Jack's silver and green robe tightly. With a shaky breath, she tried to let go of him and slide into the bleacher but it seemed that awareness had finally hit her. She looked up into Jack's eyes and Jack felt his throat tighten, his mouth become so dry that he couldn't speak if he wanted to. Here she was, in his arms, and there was something different about the way she was looking at him.

"I forgot you were _that _afraid of heights," he mumbled moments later, a rather pathetic attempt at an apology.

It broke whatever trance had fallen over them. Elsa nodded numbly. "It's…it's not the height that bothers me. It's the lack of control. I can't control the broomstick."

She finally disentangled herself and slid off his lap onto the bleachers. With her departure, it was as if all the warmth left his body.

"Elsa…do you trust me?"

Her eyes darted up to his. He could already feel her hesitation but the question had just slipped and there was no turning back. Something was happening and both of them could feel it. It was that first step between rebuilding that broken bridge and now was the time to choose to live in the moment or shut it away forever.

After a silence far too long for Jack's liking, Elsa slowly nodded.

"Then climb on."

Elsa looked undecidedly at the broom. He could see her internal battle flit across her face. But there was a boldness that had been missing from her, a remnant of their childhood that suddenly resurfaced. She stepped forward and climbed on the broomstick behind him, wrapping two arms shakily around his waist.

"You better not drop me, Jack Frost," she said, unable to hide the trepidation in her voice.

"I'll never let you fall," Jack whispered back, the truth of his promise wrapping his heart with its firm grip.

Using the bench for leverage, Jack bolted up into the air. Elsa's scream died into his back as the only sound that filled their ears was the wind whipping in their faces. Jack's Firebolt was notorious for its speed but he tried to go slower, the death grip over his torso a constant reminder of Elsa's insecurity. Still, a Firebolt at its slowest was faster than the top speeds of most broomsticks.

With practiced ease, he maneuvered the broomstick through the pillars, flying low enough that his hand could brush the grass if he reached out his arm. The grip on his waist loosened, no longer like a vice, and he felt Elsa's chin rest into the crook where his neck met his shoulder.

"Oh my god," she said.

The awe in her voice was like honey to his ears, sending a trill down his spine. It was like she was seeing the world through his eyes for once and it made a hard lump catch in his throat. He lifted them higher, her hold tightening ever slightly but her sudden intake of breath said she was anything but scared.

"Feeling comfortable back there?" Jack shouted. He raised his hands off the broomstick, spreading his arms out like wings.

"JACKSON OVERLAND FROST, WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME ARE YOU DOING?!" Elsa shrieked, her fear instantly returning. With one hand still clutching tightly to his waist, she reached up to try and pull one of his arms back down. "YOU PUT YOUR HANDS BACK ON THE BROOM THIS INSTANT! YOU'LL GET US KILLED!"

"Relax, princess, I got this!" Using only one hand, he swerved around a pillar, raising them higher off the ground. With his mouth, he pulled the keeper glove off his other hand and then shoved it in his robes. He felt around until his fingers came into contact with the smooth, cool metal of the snitch. Reacting to Flesh Memory, it immediately sprung to life in his hand.

Wind whipping in his face, tousling his hair more wildly than it usually was, Jack pulled the snitch from his pocket.

"Hey, Elsa? Want to catch a snitch?" Jack asked. He attempted to look over his shoulder but Elsa's face was buried in the crook of his neck.

"I AM MURDERING YOU WHEN YOU STOP THIS BROOM!" she promised.

The snitch fidgeted in his hand, struggling to break free of his grip. Jack pulled out his wand from his robes and pointed it at his left hand.

"You know I would never drop you," he shouted. "So you just have to trust me! It'll be fun!"

He would have only a hundredth of a second before the snitch would escape and seemingly disappear into the wind. He had to time this right.

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Elsa groaned, her head dropping into his shoulder.

"So is that a yes?"

"Yes! Now grab the broom already!"

Jack chuckled. The Firebolt had slowed down considerably and at this point, he was merely showboating by using only his legs to guide it. Looking down at his ungloved hand, he shouted _Arresto Momentum_ as the snitch flew from his hand, only just hitting it with the spell before it could zip from sight. With its speed reduced considerably, Jack once again took hold of the broom as the snitch flew towards a pillar. Their combined weight made the broom move slower than its top speed but still fast enough that they could outfly the snitch if Jack wanted.

Quickly gaining on the slowed snitch, Jack shouted, "Try grabbing it. Don't let go of me!"

"What?! You want me to catch it?!" Elsa exclaimed.

"I asked you if you wanted to catch a snitch. You said _yes."_

"That's because I'm not the one flying this broomstick! I don't even know how to catch one!"

"It's easy," Jack said, tossing a grin over his shoulder. The look on Elsa's face was murderous but it didn't make him falter. "C'mon, give it a shot!"

Jack swore he could hear Elsa curse under her breath but maybe it was just the wind playing tricks on him. Then again, with her mussed hair and the sudden determination in her eyes, maybe he was starting to rub off on her.

She reached out as the snitch flew in front of them, her fingers just touching it before it ducked around her hand. This time, Jack could definitely hear her curse. But her second attempt was quickly thwarted as Jack realized that they were about to crash face first into one of the pillars.

Nearly hitting it, he curved around it at the last second, causing the broomstick to wobble between their legs. Elsa cried out in surprise but Jack immediately reached around to secure her against his back.

"Just keep hold of my waist!" he said, though the advice was hardly needed.

"I don't know how you do this," Elsa complained. "I can't catch it."

"You almost had it last time. I know you can do it, Elsa."

Flying a little higher, Jack watched the snitch flit around before it disappeared around the bleachers. He furrowed his brow as they began to pursue it, unable to see where it had went.

"There!" Elsa shouted.

He flew towards where she pointed, ducking the broom around the spectators' seats as they flew back into the open. With the Firebolt picking up speed, Jack flew beside the snitch as Elsa once again stretched her fingers towards it.

"You've almost got it!" Jack said excitedly.

He could feel her weight shift behind him as she stretched her entire body towards the snitch. Her fingers quickly closed over the flitting, walnut-sized ball and her lips spread into a triumphant smile. But before Jack could shout out in victory, he felt her arm slide off his waist.

"ELSA!"

She began to tumble off the broom, the snitch still fighting her grip. Jack shifted his body, his arms circling her waist before her entire body flew off. The broom barrel-rolled until it brought them face-up, Jack's heart pumping wildly and Elsa shaking, her head buried in his chest.

"Elsa, I'm so sorry! I'm such an idiot! I didn't mean to—"

It took him a few seconds to realize that the sound coming from his chest wasn't the angered sobs of a frightened witch but heartfelt laughter. She pulled back from him, one hand gripping the broomstick in the limited space between them and the other holding the struggling snitch.

"I caught it," she said, grinning.

Jack accepted it, feeling the snitch settle in his grip. Absently, he shoved it into his robes and stared at Elsa with concern. "Yeah, you did…you sure you're okay?"

He had been expecting death threats, curses…maybe a vicious jinx for nearly breaking his promise and letting her almost fall to her death.

Instead, she was…giggling?

"I get it now, why you do this," she said, as if not hearing his question. "I always thought it was ridiculous, witches and wizards risking their lives to chase after enchanted objects. But flying…it's really something else."

The wonder in her voice hit a familiar chord in Jack.

"But I almost dropped you," Jack found himself saying. Because moment-ruining was clearly high on his priority list.

Elsa was quiet for a moment. "It's okay, Jack. Because I knew you would catch me."

The trust in her voice, the firm belief in her own words, made Jack almost forget to breathe. It filled him with something he didn't want to think about, something that terrified him but also felt _right._

"Hey, Jack. Look."

He wondered what had caught her interest but the answer was straight in front of them, nearly blinding him.

"It's really something, isn't it?" he said.

"It's amazing," was all she could say.

The colors in the sky had gone a violent shade of red, the edges of the horizon being chased by darker hues of the oncoming night. In the last minutes of daylight, Jack and Elsa remained hovering above the pitch, watching the sunset together as a peaceful silence fell between them. But for the air of calm that Jack appeared to have, inside was a completely different story.

With daylight fading into evening, Jack zoomed down towards the pitch, unable to hear the wind above his pounding heart. As he skimmed over the grassy surface, he slowed the broomstick before bringing it to a stop. Elsa dismounted first, stumbling a bit dizzily onto the ground.

"Careful," Jack said, with a chuckle.

"Jack, that was..."

The exhilaration of the flight had left her near breathless. She laughed softly, staring at Jack with wonder, the same wonder he felt when he was in the air and entirely free. And looking at her now, all he saw was her. Her rosy cheeks, her tousled hair...the walls she had constructed crumbled to reveal the girl, the young woman, who had locked him out three years ago.

He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline but something moved him forward, made him close the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around her, tilting her face up towards his, his finger tracing the delicate curve of her chin. She gave a startled, "Oh," and it had his pulse racing, a quickening thud that seemed to scream in his ear. He knew he had to do it now or he would lose his nerve.

His nose bumped hers, his lips dipping to brush against hers...

And suddenly, he was 13 again. He was catching his first snitch, falling to the earth, so delirious with his victory that he almost forgot to balance himself on his broom. The crowd roared in his ears, cheering his name. But none could outmatch the absolute joy on Elsa's face, the way her eyes lit up as she waved excitedly at him from the crowd. For the rest of his life, he would carry that image of her. Every time he handled his lucky snitch, traced his fingers along its golden surface, he stopped hearing the crowd and saw only her in that moment.

The snitch represented everything that made him who he was. It was the joy of flying, his obsession with quidditch, and the touch of first love. He still recalls sneaking out of the common room later that evening, running out into the halls to meet with Elsa before curfew. She had grabbed him excitedly, held him tightly as she told him how proud she was of him, how amazing he had looked in the pitch. And as the seconds stretched into minutes, the way she held him suddenly became something more and for the first time in the confusion of puberty, everything fell into place, even if he didn't quite get it yet. He stroked her back, seeming to melt into her warmth and there was an urge that pushed him forward. He had looked deep into her eyes, watched them shyly flutter close, as he dipped his head and brushed their lips together...

"Jack," she had whispered, cheeks rosy, his name tumbling from her lips like a breath of fresh air.

"Jack," she whispered now.

It broke him from the moment, his name not sounding quite like he had remembered. Through half-lidded eyes, he looked down at her and saw the distress on her face, felt her hand grip his robe. And suddenly, the walls were coming back up and he was letting her go, letting her slip away from his grasp, every inch creating miles of distance between them.

"I can't do this," she said, turning away from him. She wrapped her arms over her chest.

He stared at her in shock, feeling the weeks of getting to know her again amount to nothing. Every time he tried getting closer, she pushed back and it was beginning to get on his nerves.

"Elsa…"

"I-I'm so sorry," Elsa whispered.

She began to walk away but Jack wasn't going to let her. Not this time.

In a few strides, he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Elsa? Elsa, wait!"

She pulled free of his grasp but it was enough to stop her in her tracks. She turned to face him, desperation in her eyes. "Jack, please—"

"I'm sorry I kissed you," Jack blurted. But that wasn' t true at all. "Okay, I'm not actually sorry. But if you're not into me, it's alright. I mean, I guess I shouldn't have done that but I just thought—"

"This isn't about some kiss, Jack!" Elsa said, her voice rising. And the way she said it, like it really was just any kiss, hurt Jack more than he would admit. Guilt flashed in her eyes but she remained resolute, like she was stuck between fight or flight.

Quite frankly, Jack had had enough. "Then what the hell is it about?!"

"What's it about?!" Elsa retorted angrily. "A few months ago, you were spilling my potion on our professor and now you think we can be—I dunno, friends? All you've done is bully me all year and you think one kiss can change that?"

Jack didn't know whether to laugh or rip his hair out in frustration. "Really? I make some dickish comments and you're going to hold that against me?"

"Merlin, are you that thick?" Elsa said. "In what universe would anyone like you for treating them like that?!"

"I did it because it was the only damn way to get your attention!"

Elsa's eyes widened. Jack was so angry he could feel himself shake. But underlying all that anger was the pain of being ignored all this time.

"Ever since 4th year, you haven't even seen me, Elsa," Jack said, swallowing heavily. He tried to control his voice. "You stopped responding to my owls, you always made excuses to shut yourself away. You wouldn't even sit next to me in class anymore."

"Jack—"

"And yeah, maybe it made me an asshole but nothing else I did got your attention. I just wanted you to notice me again. And I'm sorry, Elsa. I'm really, truly sorry if anything I've ever said has hurt you."

Elsa's eyes clouded with tears and she blinked then back rapidly, her eyes fixed to the ground.

"But you also shut me out," Jack continued. "You've shut everyone out. Ever since your parents died—"

"Jack, stop!"

A broken sob ripped from Elsa's throat, so raw that it effectively silenced Jack. Tears spilled down her cheeks, dripping off her chin. Her whole body was shaking and Jack wanted to take her in his arms and hold her and tell her everything would be okay.

He tried to reach for her but she pulled away.

"Elsa…?"

"I can't go back to being that girl," she whispered, wiping furiously at her tears. "Everything's changed. I've changed. And…and what we had…you were my best friend, Jack. But we've become different people—"

"I love you," Jack said.

He hadn't known how true those words were until they were out in the open. It wasn't only Elsa who looked shocked by the confession but Jack returned her gaze with new found understanding.

"I've loved you since the first time I kissed you," Jack added, "when we were 13 and I was too stupid to know what I was doing. It's always been you, Elsa. And I don't care if all we can be is friends. I'll take what I can get. But I don't want to lose you again."

"Jack…" But words failed Elsa. She looked torn, like she was fighting an internal battle. He knew it was a choice between going back to her self-imposed isolation and acknowledging the change that has happened between them. He hoped against the odds that she would give him a chance. But as she looked away, his heart dropped, each passing moment echoing his defeat.

She sadly shook her head. "You have your quidditch, I have my house points. Let's just leave it at that."

Jack was stunned into silence as her words cut him deep. He took a shaky breath but he couldn't soothe the hollow ache that tore through him.

"So, that's it? You're just going to hide behind your books and pretend none of this matters?" He gestured angrily between them. But for all his ire, something felt incredibly broken inside of him.

Elsa didn't say anything.

"Well, see you around, then," he said, his words sounding hollow and numb to his ears. As he walked off the pitch, he dumped the snitch from his pocket. What was the point of having memories if she didn't want them to be remembered?


	5. Bewitched

**Warning:** This chapter contains a descriptive panic attack. Anyone who is triggered by such language should proceed with caution.

...

...

..

.

"Jack," she whispered.

She giggled as Jack looked over his shoulder, shifting his body so quickly that his quidditch robes fluttered. He squinted at the shadows hugging the corridor and it was clear that he still hadn't seen her.

"I'm over here."

Stepping around the bust of Glanmore Peakes, famed serpent slayer and former Hogwarts student, Elsa could see Jack's face light up. It made her heart skip a beat.

"You actually came!" Jack laughed, nudging her shoulder. "Miss Lindstrom, sneaking around before curfew. Imagine the scandal!"

The reminder that she was breaking the rules made Elsa's smile falter. She had thought it was a good idea earlier when she suggested they meet up here, a corridor that was off-limits to students since sections had fallen into disrepair. The privacy was welcome but the penalties weighed at the back of her mind. "...maybe this was a bad idea. Merlin, what if we get caught, Jack? What if I get detention? If my parents find out—"

"I'm just teasing you, Elsa!" Jack said hurriedly, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "No one's going to find us. Promise."

"Really?"

She couldn't hide the hitch in her breath at their sudden proximity. She could no longer be sure if the fear of being caught or the strange flutter in her stomach was making her so nervous.

"C'mon, I've done this tons of times," Jack reassured her. "I've even found passageways I bet Headmaster Moon doesn't know about. We'll be fine."

She wasn't entirely swayed but she knew Jack had her best interests at heart. Plus, if she had to trust anyone with 'rule-breaking', she supposed Jack would be anyone's best bet.

"Thanks for coming out today," he said, breaking her train of thought. He paused for a moment. "It really means a lot to me."

She was almost taken aback by how serious he sounded. She knew that today was a big deal, a summer spent training to fight for a coveted position on the Slytherin team finally paying off when he demonstrated his skill in the pitch. Without the crowd roaring and his opponents to badger him, Jack's confidence was left in the pitch where it belonged and he was suddenly that familiar bundle of nerves Elsa had been cheering from the sidelines all term.

She grabbed his hands, her own tingling as Jack's fingers tangled with hers. The familiarity of the gesture made both of them feel warm, the firmness of her grip being the support Jack needed in that moment of vulnerability.

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything, Jack. You know that," Elsa started.

"But you didn't have to be there," Jack interrupted. "I know you don't even like quidditch. You could have been studying or, you know, doing something useful. We have that essay on werewolves due Monday—"

"Jack," Elsa said, saying his name firmly. Jack faltered, looking away from her eyes. But both refused to let go.

"You were amazing out there," she continued, the wonder in her voice startling him. But she couldn't understand why he was so surprised. The way he maneuvered the broom, flying seamlessly in the air was always a point of envy for Elsa, who couldn't even get on a broomstick without bursting into tears.

"You mean that?" he asked.

She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Of course I do. You know I wish I could fly like that."

It was one of those moments where time stopped, where Elsa became aware of how nice his arms felt and how warm his body was. She became aware of her pounding heart and of the way he smelled, a mix of sweat-and-pine, the smell of a first frost as autumn faded into winter. But it was his eyes that gave her pause, made her wonder at the sudden shyness that had her almost wanting to look away. Instead, instinct overtook reason as her eyes fluttered closed and she felt his warm breath tickling her lips.

The explosion of sparks that seemed to burst as their lips brushed together was dizzying. Her hands gripped his quidditch robes tightly, almost feeling like she would topple over if she were to let go. But at the back of her mind, she knew that if she were to stumble, Jack would always be there to catch her.

"Jack…" she whispered, as they pulled back.

_It had lasted only moments. Neither Elsa nor Jack really knew what they were doing so they managed to bump noses when Jack pulled back too quickly. But it was with that first kiss when things had started to change between them and Elsa began to realize there was something more than just friendship._

_For the rest of the year, they were inseparable. But since both were thrust headfirst into puberty, they couldn't make sense of what was happening. All Elsa knew was that the hugs started to feel warmer and her stomach felt funny whenever Jack would smile at her. _

_As the weeks stretched into months, the kiss was ignored but not forgotten. It lingered as a warm, fuzzy memory, one that Elsa sometimes found herself replaying over and over in her mind. Maybe it was because of the bashfulness of their youth, but neither of them dared bring it up again. Not even on the last day she said her goodbyes to him at platform 9 and ¾ …_

"I think that's your dad."

Elsa looked to where Jack was pointing. Upon seeing her father's face, the only way she could describe the strange feeling that came over her was a mix of excitement and sadness. Her father smiled and waved from across the platform and Elsa waved back.

"Three months…any plans?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "You know besides weekends visiting my grandparents, we never do anything fun."

"Not true!" Jack argued. "Didn't you go to that place with all those animals last summer?"

"You mean the 'zoo'?" Elsa replied, making a face. It was hardly what she would call 'fun'. Something about seeing all the poor animals caged up always stirred something within her. Though she did get a dorky fox hat with ears and sent it by owl to Jack. She could barely keep a straight face when he showed up with it at 9 and ¾ last September.

"I've always wanted to go but dad won't take me," Jack said, with a slight scowl. "He says Muggle cities aren't safe. Can't use magic to defend ourselves there."

"It's no more dangerous than being in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley," Elsa said. "And a wand can be both weapon or shield, depending on how you use it. My parents were terrified the first time we went shopping for my robes and books."

It was really a fish-out-of-water moment for the Lindstroms. Although their aunt was a magic user, Elsa's mother had never been allowed to go with shopping in Diagon Alley with her sister. So when the time came to send Elsa off to Hogwarts, the Lindstroms were constantly looking over their shoulder as they went from shop-to-shop. Elsa had found it amusing at first but now she understood how scary it must have been for them.

"Trust me, I know," Jack said, chuckling. "I think my dad's old-fashioned. He's always complaining about having to get into London to go to the Ministry. He even says Muggles use these devices that run on electric power to get around."

Elsa laughed. "Cars, Jack. You're thinking of cars. And yes, we use those."

Jack studied Elsa for a long moment, as if trying to decide if she was being serious or pulling his leg. "...I think I'll stick with my broom."

"Papa!" Anna shouted, hopping off the train and running across the platform. Rapunzel was close behind her.

"Anna! Your suitcase!"

Elsa and Jack laughed, his hand reaching out to linger over hers. Elsa could feel her lips curl into a bashful smile, shyly intertwining their fingers together. It sent a warm shock pulsing over her skin and she was suddenly thinking of their stolen moment in that corridor only months before.

As her eyes reached his, she had no doubt he was remembering the same thing. The warm blush on his cheeks made her stomach flutter pleasantly. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when he caught sight of something behind her and broke out into a grin.

"EM!" he shouted, letting go of Elsa's hand and waving.

Elsa looked over her shoulder and sure enough, she saw Jack's younger sister waving back, waiting as Jack's parents emerged from the stone pillar behind her. Before Elsa could turn back to Jack, she felt his arms circle her waist and pull her into his embrace.

"It's gonna suck not seeing you every day," he whispered.

She dropped her head on his shoulder, gripping him tightly. As much as she had missed her family, she also hated the thought of being separated from Jack. Summers were always bittersweet but somehow this year, it felt even worse. "Owl me when you get a chance."

"Every day," Jack promised.

With one final squeeze, they broke apart. They stood awkwardly for a few moments, both well aware that their families were waiting for them but not quite brave enough to walk away. Elsa was never known for her impulsiveness, always methodically exploring every option before making a decision. But in that moment, she was the one moving forward, brushing her lips over Jack's cheek.

"Take care, Jack."

She knew her face was beet red as she dragged her suitcase behind her, her family oblivious to what had just transpired as Anna and Rapunzel recounted their adventures to the Lindstroms. But all she could think of was how warm Jack's hand had felt in hers and how much she was going to miss his hugs.

_That was the summer when everything changed. She hadn't realized when she had hugged Jack tightly, giving him a last, lingering look as she left the platform with her family, that it would be the last time she would seek the comfort of his embrace. At the time, all she could think about was him and she wrote him nearly every day, sending her snowy-white owl, Olaf, halfway across England to deliver messages. And each time he wrote her back, never missing a beat, she would squeal with glee, throw herself across her bed, and read his messy hand over and over again, counting the days until she would see him._

_But then, tragedy struck. It was on a particularly hot July evening when the accident happened. Anna and Elsa had been at home, Elsa flipping through her Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook, when the police officers had shown up. To this day, she can't recall any other point in her life where she felt as scared and alone as she had in that moment._

_After going through the motions and attending their parents' funeral, Elsa and Anna were sent to live with their maternal grandparents. Anna spent most of August in mourning, often going to Elsa for comfort. Elsa, however, began to shut out the entire world. Being the eldest daughter, she felt she had to be strong for Anna so she constantly struggled to put on a brave face and not let her emotions consume her. She had her moments where she would break down and cry for her parents, but they quickly became few and far in between._

_She soon found that books were a good distraction. With her mind focused on problem-solving and fact-finding, she could keep herself from thinking about the shambled mess she called her life. She was tired of being asked if she was alright when she wasn't, so sick of hearing it would be okay when it wouldn't be. And when Jack's letters came, each growing more concerned for her with every failed reply, Elsa's heart would rip for being reminded of the life she lost, for the happiness she once had, back in a time when the greatest of her problems was wondering if Jack likes her back. She suddenly found it all pointless. What good was any of it when it could be taken from her so quickly?_

_Eventually, she didn't even bother reading the letters but threw them out. And then it was time to go back to Hogwarts._

Elsa and Anna stood awkwardly at the platform. It was strange being sent off by their grandparents but the strangeness of the situation only reminded both the girls of the presence of their missing parents. Beside her, tears trickled down Anna's cheeks and Elsa would join her if only the cold, hollow feeling in her chest would go away.

"You let us know if you want to come home," her grandmother said, hugging Anna tightly.

Less than 6 weeks since the funeral and it still didn't feel quite real. Their grandparents were against sending the girls back to Hogwarts so soon, even offering to speak with Headmaster Moon to see if an exception could be made to give them more time to grieve. But Elsa already craved the distraction of schoolwork and didn't want to deal with the pain of loss that seemed to follow her everywhere.

"We will get through it," Elsa said. She straightened her robes, already in full uniform. She could feel some of the other students glance curiously in their direction, some undoubtedly hearing of the tragedy from Rapunzel over the summer. It caused her cheeks to heat and triggered a flight response that was getting harder to ignore with each passing moment.

_Don't let them see how their words affect you_, she told herself.

"Papa used to tell us how much he was going to miss us," Anna whimpered into her grandmother's shoulder. A small sobbed wracked the 13 year old's body.

"It's alright, sweetheart," their grandmother said, rubbing Anna's back soothingly.

But Anna's crying fit was only drawing more attention to the family.

"Anna," Elsa hissed. "Please control yourself. People are staring."

She had seen enough of those stares in their neighborhood: the pity. Each time, it made her stomach curl viciously and a silent scream sound off in her head. She was sick of the looks, sick of the empty words. All Elsa wanted to do was find a corner to hide away until everyone stopped looking at her like a wounded animal.

"So what if they stare?" Anna cried. "What does it matter?"

"Anna," Elsa said. The panic was biting away at her resolve. "Please—"

"You won't even cry about it," she said, wiping angrily at her tears. "Don't you even care?"

It was like a knife being driven deep into her back. But for as deeply as the words cut her, the stares were making Elsa want to run. Like a fist squeezing over her throat, it felt like she couldn't breathe. She had to get away.

"Thank you for seeing us off," Elsa said, with a watery smile.

"Elsa," her grandfather started.

She picked up Olaf's cage and dragged her suitcase behind her as she made a beeline for the Hogwarts Express, willing herself to keep her composure.

And she was almost free, almost away from the stares when—

"Elsa!"

And she wished she could walk by him, wished he hadn't been standing there in front of her, blocking her way onto the train. His voice made her heart ache and as she looked into his concerned eyes, she wanted to be allowed to break down.

"Elsa, are you alright?" he asked. "You haven't been responding to my owls-"

He reached out to touch her and Elsa visibly flinched, taking a step back from him. She could see the hurt in his eyes.

"I'm fine, Jack," she said.

"I heard what Anna said," he started. As they slipped into an awkward silence, it almost felt more suffocating. Jack seemed unable to find the words while Elsa just wanted everything to go away. "I'm sure she didn't mean—"

"I can't do this right now, Jack," Elsa whispered. She could feel hot tears sting at her eyes but she blinked them back, taking a deep breath. It did little to calm the panic that seemed to explode inside of her.

"Elsa…"

She walked by him, nearly dropping Olaf's cage as she clumsily boarded the train. Once alone, the anxiety became too much. The whole compartment seemed to shrink in on her as the tears finally dripped down her cheek, her quick breaths unable to satisfy her lungs' need for oxygen. She counted down backwards from 10, gripping the seat as she inhaled slowly, exhaled…tried to calm her racing heart.

Beside her, Olaf hooted worriedly, pecking at the bars of his cage.

Releasing a shaky breath, Elsa wiped at her tears. Her father's words went through her head:

_"You're different, Elsa. You don't have magical parents," her father had said the first time they brought her to platform 9 and ¾. His concern was evident, a warning well-received from their aunt, who had experienced discrimination from purebloods as a Hogwarts student, "and some of the other students may look down on you. But don't let them in. Don't let them see how their words affect you. Be a good girl and remember that we love you."_

_We love you._

And now they were gone.

She could feel the threat of more tears. _Don't let them in. Don't let them see. _

She needed a distraction.

Reaching into her suitcase, she pulled out her Arithmancy textbook. And as she became immersed in its pages, she felt the entire world slip away…

_She dodged all of her friends and classmates, unable to stomach the empty condolences offered, until the train arrived at Hogwarts. For the next few months, she strove hard to push everyone out of her life by striving for the top, every spare moment now being buried in a book or completing an assignment. Nobody saw her anymore and her isolation hurt Jack and Anna most. But whereas it took until the next summer for Anna and her to mend their broken relationship, she had effectively made Jack feel so unneeded that he stopped coming to her. And until now, she had truly believed things were better that way._

* * *

That night, Elsa crawled into her bed, shut the navy drapes of the canopy, and cast a _silencio _spell. Without the world listening in, she finally let go and cried herself to sleep, the golden snitch clutched close to her chest.

When she woke up the next day, eyes red and puffy from crying, she washed up and prepared for another typical day, deciding to fall back into her old routine. That usually meant grabbing something quick from the Great Hall and running off to the library to study well into the evening. Since her exams were complete and it was only Thursday, she had a few days of open schedule until she would return home on Sunday. _Best to start on the summer reading_, she decided.

But as students milled into the Great Hall, many rushing for a bite to eat before doing last second cramming, she caught a flash of silver-white hair and completely lost her nerve. She went to the library instead and spent the next 7 hours trying to get through her readings but with only minimal success. Her mind kept wandering back to the night before. This was what she wanted so why did it make her feel so terrible?

_I love you._

Her eyes blurred with tears until she could no longer read the words on the page.

The next day wasn't any better. It was the last day for exams, the last morning where the ominous quiet of the exam period permeated every corner of the school, but it brought little respite to Elsa. Where she normally found comfort in the quiet, it somehow made the replayed conversations in her head sound louder and she had less success getting anything done. She gave up by the afternoon and sought her sister.

"My O.W.L.s are doooooone!" Anna said, grinning from ear to ear. But when she noticed the look on Elsa's face, her expression fell. "Elsa, what's wrong?"

Elsa broke down and told Anna what had happened the other night. Anna held her sister for as long as Elsa needed and it was a change of dynamic since Anna was usually the one who went to Elsa for comfort.

"Elsa, you need to talk to Jack," Anna said, pulling out a black handkerchief with a golden _H _sewn into the fabric. She handed it to Elsa and Elsa dried her eyes on it.

"I-I know," Elsa said, shakily. "But what do I say to him, Anna? What if he doesn't want to see me?"

Anna gave Elsa a small, knowing smile, shaking her head. "This is Jack we're talking about. Trust me, Elsa. He'll _want _to talk to you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Any wizard who is willing to be dragged into Madam Puddifoot's to spy on one's sister is probably the kind of wizard who will stick around," Anna said, with a smirk.

"You knew about that?!"

Anna shrugged. "It was kind of funny. Kristoff and I had a good laugh over it."

Elsa laughed through her tears. But as she thought about the last few weeks and how much her life had changed with Jack in it, her expression fell once more.

"I really screwed up this time," she said, with a sigh.

Anna took her hand and looked at her sister with a seriousness that was more often than not absent from her. "Elsa…I know you never meant to do it but I wasn't the only person you hurt when you shut yourself off. I miss them too," and as she said this, tears welled in Anna's eyes, "I miss them so much, every single day, but I don't let that stop me from being happy."

The topic of their parents was still too difficult for them, even if it had almost been three years since their deaths. Anna, who wasn't quite as restrained as Elsa, let the tears slip as she continued.

"You need to let go of whatever you're worried about and just _live. _Have fun, make mistakes…you don't have to be perfect," and, taking the handkerchief from Elsa, Anna wiped her eyes, "Mom and Dad would want that."

Elsa pulled Anna close, hugging her sister tightly as they shared a few tears. There was so much truth in what Anna was saying and it always amazed Elsa at how her sister could be so carefree but also so sensible. "When did you become so wise?"

Anna laughed and grinned at her sister. "I learned from the best."

After sharing another laugh, Elsa smirked and asked, "So, how are things with Kristoff?"

* * *

The next few days were a blur for Jack. He could lie to himself about how much it didn't hurt but Elsa's rejection of him, her willingness to cut him out so easily, stung colder than a late winter's chill. He went through the motions, training with his teammates in preparation for the final game of the season, ignoring Flynn's teasing and putting on a strong face. But even as he raced the wind around the pitch, his joy of flying couldn't fill the empty void.

In desperation, he found himself staying late in the pitch on Thursday night, trying desperately to find the snitch he'd thrown away the day before. He had been too hasty in discarding the one thing that reminded him of Elsa and if that was all he could have of her, he would take it. But hours of searching amounted to nothing and, with angry tears, he admitted his own defeat. She wanted nothing to do with him and that's just how it was going to be.

Friday saw more spills and more close calls than he would have liked. Hans and Flynn, who were graduating, wanted to end the year on a bang and with Ravenclaw now sitting with the most house points, it would take a Slytherin win to get the House Cup. With Jack's mind distracted, he was off his game and had Hans coming down on him harder than usual. But the rumor mill may have also contributed insight to Hans' foul mood.

"What crawled up his arse?" Jack complained, repositioning himself on his broomstick.

Flynn floated beside Jack, glancing quickly over his shoulder at Hans, who was currently chewing out the Thornston beater twins. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked, in a lowered voice.

"If this is about Equus, then the whole school's one step ahead of you guys," Jack said. He had heard, with mild interest from Hiccup, that a truce had been reached after Equus sported a full mane of rainbow-colored hair 2 weeks back. Nobody had been able to look at the caretaker with a straight face until days after he had been cured of the enchantment.

"Trust me: nobody knows what really went down with him...well, except us," Flynn said, smirking. "And I can tell you, mate, it was worth it."

The smirk intrigued Jack and at least provided a momentary distraction from everything that had went down in the last few days. "I'm all ears, Flynn."

Flynn needed little encouragement, all too eager to share the latest in their prank war. "Last week, Equus admitted defeat. It was great! He was practically begging us to disenchant the magazines and take them back!"

This was a development Jack hadn't been aware of. "He gave them up?"

"Turns out you really are the master prankster," Flynn said, chuckling. "The squib couldn't disenchant them himself and he didn't dare go to Headmaster Moon. You should have seen how much porn was in his office!"

Jack tried laughing along with Flynn but as amusing as the situation was, his grin didn't quite reach his eyes. All he could think of was what Elsa would say. _She'd scold me for being an accomplice to 'terrorizing the poor man' while trying to hide a smile_, he couldn't help but think sadly.

"So then what's going on with Hjelmstad?"

Flynn seemed a bit uncomfortable about the question. As close as Jack was to his older housemates, a friendship that had only grown stronger after his falling out with Elsa, Flynn and Hans had a friendship that went back to infancy and he could see how Flynn struggled to decide if he should divulge something personal about his best friend. "His parents don't want him to become an Auror. They threatened to disown him unless he does something _respectable_."

It made Jack's problems feel comparably insignificant. Hans came from old blood and his parents were known to be controlling, only wanting Hans to associate with other aristocratic wizards. He could see why they would disapprove of Hans following Flynn into a career in the Ministry.

"Damn," was all he could really say. He had a feeling that Flynn wasn't telling him everything but Jack didn't want to push an issue that wasn't any of his business.

"If you two witches are done gossiping, we have training to get back to," Hans voice said icily, startling the two Slytherins.

Jack's broom wobbled and he glanced over his shoulder. Although it sounded like Hans had been behind them, he nearly sighed in relief. Hans was still at the other end of the pitch, wand pointed at his throat to magnify his voice, so he hadn't heard what they said.

The rest of practice went abysmally for Jack. It didn't help that he constantly had Elsa on his mind. He felt nothing short of shitty when he went to bed that evening, feeling like he had not only lost his best friend once again, but was also losing his quidditch.

By Saturday morning, his confidence was so shot that he was half-tempted to resign his position and have Jamie take his place. He barely got through his breakfast, too sick and exhausted to stomach the sight of food. After getting through only half an apple, he gave up and left the Great Hall, the chatter of students giving him a headache.

Wand in one hand and broomstick in the other, he headed to the pitch, robes billowing about him. It was the one downside to playing in June: the heavy quidditch gear was little match for the hot sun. He could already feel sweat forming on his brow and swiped it with the back of his gloved hand.

"Jack."

The sound of his name startled him out of his train of thought. He turned and swallowed hard as Elsa walked up to him. Unlike most days, she was wearing Muggle clothing for once, dressed in a white, button down blouse and a pair of capris. Her French braid was loose today, a few strands falling over her face. There was something so simple, yet so elegant, about the way she always carried herself, never really trying but always managing to shine brighter than anyone else in the room, a least, in Jack's eyes.

_I can't do this._

Her words echoed in his head, causing that dull ache to thud hollowly in his chest. He appeared as indifferent as possible, leaning casually on his broomstick.

"Yes, princess?" he all but sneered.

Elsa winced visibly and he immediately felt guilty.

"…I deserve that," she said. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. For a good minute, she seemed to struggle with what to say, shifting her weight between her feet. Jack tried to be patient but already, students were walking by to fill the seats of the pitch. And, given their recent history, he couldn't be blamed for wanting to get out of there before either of them made the situation worse.

"If you've got something to say, say it," he said, failing to keep a cool tone out of his voice. "The game's going to start soon."

"About the other night—"

"SEE YOU OUT ON THE FIELD, FROSTY!" Astrid shouted, red and yellow robes billowing about her as she flew above the pair into the pitch. She was followed closely by Merida, his ex who was also the Gryffindor seeker.

"MAY THE BEST WITCH CATCH THE SNITCH!" she called down to him, laughing.

Jack grinned up at her. "DON'T YOU MEAN WIZARD?"

But once they were gone, Jack was brought back to the uncomfortable silence him and Elsa had slipped into. He was about to mount his broomstick and just be done with this when Elsa's voice cut through the tension.

"I'm sorry," she said.

And he wanted to believe her but how many times has she said it? _'Sorry, Jack, I'm busy. I need to study.' _Or '_Sorry, Jack. I have too much to deal with.'_

_I can't do this._

For Jack, a 'sorry' from Elsa lost its sincerity a long time ago.

"Yeah, you're 'sorry'. I get it," Jack said. "We're different people and that's just how it is."

"No, I don't think you get what I'm saying, Jack," Elsa cut in. "After the accident…I ignored you. I stopped being that girl who used to laugh at your jokes and cheered at your games and it wasn't because I stopped caring about you. I…I've been so cold to you and for that, I'm really sorry. Really."

Jack wanted to stay angry with her. Because how do you forgive someone who treated you like you weren't even there for the last 3 years? But any vicious retort he had died on his tongue when he saw the tears shining in her eyes.

" And maybe the more I pushed, the colder you were to me. You would say these awful things just to get a rise out of me—"

"Elsa, you know I really didn't mean any that—" Jack protested.

"Trust me, Jack, I know," Elsa interrupted. She took a shaky breath. "What I'm trying to say is that we both made our mistakes. But you were right. I shouldn't ignore this and I can't walk away from you again."

"Elsa…what are you saying?"

He could feel his heart pound harder as he dared hope for the impossible. But even with his doubt screaming at the back of his mind, the hand that reached towards him, the fingers that tangled with his, made Jack realize where all of this would lead. Looking into her eyes, seeing the shy smile on her lips, Jack knew both of them were where they belonged.

"I love you, Jack," she whispered. "And I was so foolish to think I had ever stopped."

He didn't have time to think, to react. Because she was reaching for him, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away, and suddenly it was like he was _home_. As her defenses shattered with the truth she had long since denied herself, he felt her arms circle his waist, her lips press to his in a way that brought memories of earlier years. It was her warmth that made his heart beat and even as their lives changed, this was the one thing that remained constant and he swore now he would do everything to not ever lose this again.

As she released a breathy shudder, he brushed their lips together, her scent so intoxicating, Jack half wondered if he'd be able to fly straight after this. It was different from when they were 13 and he had kissed her with uncertainty. The confidence that came with time and knowing brought a hungry fever and as his hand cradled the back of her neck, his tongue seeking entrance through the parting of her lips, he became so bewitched that quidditch was the last thing on his mind.

"Your game," she said, breathless as they broke apart.

Jack sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "It can wait."

"No it can't!"

Jack and Elsa broke apart, their cheeks flushing. Hovering just slightly off the ground behind them, Kristoff, also in full uniform and clutching a beater, chuckled loudly. Jack was half tempted to pull out his wand and hex the Gryffindor for ruining their moment.

"Enjoying the show, Vanderhoof?" he asked, moodily.

"Just returning the favor. Try to stay on your broom, Frost!"

Kristoff crowed loudly and flew up through the pillars, eliciting loud cheers from the crowd.

"Guess I better get in there," Jack said. The cheering crowd was already sending fire in his veins and he could almost taste victory. But his pulse was also still racing from the kiss and part of him hated that he would have to wait 2 hours before he could see her again.

He looked over at Elsa and saw her smile bashfully. "Break a broom," she said.

He grinned and mounted his broomstick.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Elsa said. She pulled something from her pocket and handed it to him. "Here."

He looked at the golden snitch in his gloved hand. Over the years, he had attributed many of his wins to the luck it gave him. But with the way Elsa was looking at him right now, he already felt lucky. It was time to let some things go.

"You keep it," he said, grinning.

Elsa blushed. "But isn't this the one from—"

"Yeah," Jack said. "So I want you to have it."

Elsa smiled and pocketed it.

With the crowd roaring, Jack knew that if he didn't get in there, Hans would fly over and drag him in. He grabbed Elsa and shared one final, heated kiss with her, dipping her over the broom. She giggled against his lips and the awkward position had them both stumbling on their feet to avoid tripping over.

"I'll wait for you after the game," Elsa promised.

And as Jack took off into the pitch, he had a feeling this was one promise she was definitely going to keep.

...

...

..

.

**A/N:** So here it is! Months after finishing the first draft, I have finally completed it! Thank you to everyone who has been following the story and for all your encouragement. I tend to be most comfortable writing smut and I really lack confidence in writing chaptered fics. Without you, I probably would have left this sitting on my laptop. So a big thank you to all the readers and I hope this met your expectations :).


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